Jenolan Caves

Just 30km from Oberon, has the most spectacular and best-known Limestone caves in Australia. They are a world renowned example of caves of this type and have been open to the public for over 150 years. These caves are believed to have been first explored by European settlers in 1838. There are 9 richly decorated show caves open for public viewing every day of the year. The duration of the guided tour of each show cave is from 1 to 2 hours.

Jenolan Caves

The caves are set in a 2,416 hectare reserve which has beautiful bush trails with lookouts and restful spots to enjoy the scenery. Colourful birds and native animals, red-necked wallabies, kangaroos, possums, echidna and wombats make their homes in this habitat.

ADVENTURE TOURS

The Jenolan Caves and their amazing formations were explored by men slithering up and down muddy slopes and through small openings with only candlelight to guide them. Today you can also enjoy an exhilarating experience under similar conditions, but remember, bookings for these adventure tours are essential.
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THE 6 FOOT TRACK

The 46km, 6 foot track from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves has become a popular walking track for self-planned groups or guided walks. The 6 foot track follows the route of the original horse track marked out in 1884. It winds down through Nellie's Glen, through the Megalong Valley, over Mini Mini Range to Little River, then up Black Range (the steepest section of the walk where the climb is 230 metres over 3km). This walk is suitable for anyone reasonably fit and can be traveled comfortably in 2 and a half days.

The annual 6 Foot Track Marathon takes place on the second weekend in March and attracts a large field of competitors. The starting line is at Katoomba and the finish is at Jenolan Caves.

Jenolan Caves - Carlotta's Arch

Special offer to people with caravans wishing to visit Jenolan Caves

Caravan owners have in the past experienced difficulty in visiting Jenolan Caves because the access roads are not suitable for caravans. Now Oberon has the answer! You can visit Oberon, leave your caravan, and visit the caves (30 minutes by car over sealed road) and return to Oberon to collect your van.

Offer 1

Leave your van at Jenolan Caravan Park while you visit Jenolan Caves for just $5 per day use of toilets and showers included) or $10 per day including electricity.

Offer 2

Stay overnight with your van at Jenolan Caravan Park, visit Jenolan Caves in the morning and enjoy a complementary late check out on return from the Caves.

These offers are subject to availability. To take advantage of either offer please contact: Your hosts Benita and Aiden Clark Jenolan Caravan Park.
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Jenolan Caves House

Indulge and relax at magnificent Jenolan Caves House. After spending the day exploring the magical underground of Jenolan Caves, treat yourself in the luxurious Caves House.

The heritage-listed Caves House as we know it began in 1897 after the first house there was lost in a fire in 1895. The palatial Tudor-style three-storey building that stands today was built in 1916, containing the current dining room.

The Caves House is known for its romantic, warm country hospitality.

The house offers comfortable accommodation, and sumptuous meals can be enjoyed at both Trail’s Bistro and the award-winning Chisholm’s Dining Room. There are also other accommodation available, from backpacker’s accommodation to motel-style rooms and self-contained cottages.

Jenolan Caves House is also a wonderful and unique conference and function venue.

More information: Jenolan Caves House

Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve

The Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve is 2422 hectares in size and preserves these magnificent limestone caves and the surrounding wilderness.

Jenolan Caves are the oldest known open cave system in the world, and is a special place for the Wiradjuri, Pejar and Gundungurra Aboriginal people.

Exposed at the Caves is upper Silurian limestone rocks, dating from 500 million years old, when the area was submerged under the sea. The limestone deposit is composed of the skeletal remains of marine organisms such as shells and corals. The extensive cave system has at least 320 entrances, and an abundance of stalactites, stalagmites and dripstone formations.

The soil derived from the surrounding limestone rock supports a special part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

The Reserve is also the home of many different native bird and animal life, including echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies and platypus.

There is so much for visitors to enjoy while in the Jenolan Karst area. As well as of course exploring the amazing 11 show caves, including adventure caving, go for a bushwalk on one of the scenic bush tracks, including around the beautiful Blue Lake. Enjoy bird watching, picnicking and even swimming.

For more information on the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve visit National Parks

Flora and Fauna

No matter where you are in the Oberon area, whether strolling one of our tree-lined streets in the middle of town or out in the depths of the national parks, you will always encounter some lovely native wildlife.

Our area is the home of many different varieties of birds and it is very common to see large flocks of white cockatoos sweeping across the sky, a family of choughs waddling together or the friendly laughter of kookaburras in the branches of gum trees.

Wherever you are in the area you can see parrots, magpies, kookaburras, wrens, eagles, ducks, thrush and owls.

When you visit Jenolan Caves, make sure you keep an eye out for Rockwarblers, Spotted Quail-Thrush, Flame and Scarlet Robin, Satin Fly-Catcher, and the Superb Lyrebird.

While walking or camping in the gorgeous Kanangra Boyd National Park, look out for the sights and sounds of the Flame and Scarlet Robin, Satin Flycatcher, White-earned Honeyeater, Spotted Quail-Thrush, and the Wedge-tailed Eagle and Rockwarbler.

The Gang-gang Cockatoo is a distinctive bird in the area. The Gang-gang likes the alpine bushland of the Oberon area, and is mostly mild grey in colour with some lighter scalloping. The male has a red head and crest and the female has a small fluffy grey crest. Unlike most other cockatoos, Gang-gangs nest in young solid trees and the female use their strong beaks to excavate nesting cavities. The Gang-gangs are most distinctive for their unusual call, which has been described as being like a creaky gate.

There are many insects in the Oberon area, from dragonflies, spiders, moths and butterflies, but the most famous is the rare Purple Copper Butterfly. This butterfly is a tiny multi-coloured butterfly which is only found in the Bathurst, Oberon and Hartley areas. The butterfly has a wingspan of only 2 to 3 centimetres and is very unique as theupper sides of their wings are copper-coloured and display a purple, blue, and green iridescence when sunning. The butterfly only lives in areas with an altitude greater than 850 metres above sea level, and lives only in the plant Bursaria spinosa. It also only lives where there is the presence on the attendant ant Anonychomyrma itinerans.

Eucalypt forests are a feature of the Oberon area, and there are many kinds of native trees in the area, from large towering gums to native shrubs and vines. One very common tree in the area is the Snow Gum. The Snow Gum is a very pretty tree which can grow up to 20 metres in height, with smooth generally light-coloured bark which sheds in patches. The Snow Gum is very unique to its alpine climate as it adapts to the weight of the snow by slowly bending its branches over time so that the branches grow to extend vertically down so it can shed the snow from its leaves.

There are many native plants in the area, including Sundews, several varieties of banksias, Conesticks, Flannel Flowers, and Sweet Sarsparilla. Some have very beautiful flowers, and one of the most stunning is the Silver Banksia. The banksia can grow from a small shrub to a large tree depending where it grows. This plant is most distinctive for its yellow flower spikes in late summer and early winter. Many species of bird, particularly Honeyeaters, forage on the flower spikes, as do native bees.

Native wildlife is a favourite for many visitors to the Oberon area, with many opportunities to catch a glimpse of kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas, platypus, possums, koalas as well as frogs and snakes. The Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby is an endangered local wallaby, with distinctive facial markings, black paws and a thick furred tail. It is a very agile small wallaby and lives around Jenolan and Wombeyan Caves. Another special and endangered animal in the area is the Stuttering Frog. This large highly camouflaged frog, which can grow up to eight centimetres in size, and it lives in wet leaf-littered floor of forests. It lives on insects and smaller frogs and can be found in national parks and forests in the Oberon area. The Spotted-tailed Quoll is another unusual animal that makes the Oberon area its home. It is a medium-sized marsupial carnivore with dark brown fur with white spots. The Quoll is an agile climber and feeds on birds, reptiles and mammals, and is listed as being a vulnerable species.

For more information on local flora and fauna visit National Parks.

Because Oberon is the home of so many native animals, they are often crossing local roadways. If you accidently hit an animal on the road or see an animal injured or dead on the road, please call WIRES.