Jenolan Caves

The Jenolan Caves, known in the Tharawal language as Binoomea, Bindo, or Binda, are a limestone cave system in the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, located in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Dating back 340 million years, this is the oldest known and dated open cave system in the world. The caves contain numerous Silurian marine fossils and are noted for their calcite formations, which are sometimes pure white.

The network follows a subterranean section of the Jenolan River, featuring over 300 entrances and many multi-level passages; exploration of the complex continues. Eleven illuminated show caves are open to paying visitors, making it the most visited of Australia’s similar limestone cave groups. The reserve is part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area, inscribed in 2000, and is listed on the Australian National Heritage List.

For thousands of years, the area held cultural significance for the Gundungurra and Wiradjuri peoples, who knew it as Binomil. A Dreamtime story describes a struggle between ancestral spirits, a giant eel-like creature and a large quoll. The Gundungurra entered the caves as far as the subterranean water, bathing sick people in it for its believed curative powers. European discovery is generally attributed to James Whalan in 1838 or 1841, while pursuing a thief.

The caves came under NSW Government control in 1866, becoming only the second area in the world reserved for conservation. Jeremiah Wilson, the first Keeper of the Caves, explored and discovered several major caves. Souvenir collection and graffiti were banned in 1872, and the name Jenolan Caves was adopted in 1884. A bridle track from Katoomba, known as the Six Foot Track, was completed in 1887.