Ever try spelunking in Australia? If not, then the Jenolan Caves in New South Wales may be the place to start. These caves have been known to the aboriginal locals for thousands of years. Called Binoomea or “dark places,” they were first explored by Europeans in 1838, one hundred and seventy-two years ago.

Originally used as a hide-out by an ex-convict known as James McKeown, the caves were recorded first by a farmer named James Whalan; he and his brother Charles explored openings into the Elder Cave in 1848. As the decades passed, more caves were uncovered, including the largest of them, the Lucas cave, in 1860, coming under the control of the government six years later.

By the time the Old West was in full swing in America, in Australia the Jenolan Caves were a tourist attraction with caver Jeremiah Wilson exploring to the end of the Elder Cave and discovering the Imperial Cave in 1879. This led to the discovery of the Left Imperial, renamed the Chifley Cave seven decades after its discovery in 1880 (in 1952) after the Prime Minister.

Electric lighting was installed in the caves in 1887, and pathways were installed helping to protect the formations. As exploration continued, even more caves were found, including the Jersey Cave in 1891 and the Jubilee Cave in 1893. Even today, exploration of the caves is not complete. In the 20th Century, the Barralong Cave and Spider Cave (in 1963 and 1975, respectively), were uncovered.

Presently, the Jenolan is the focus of tourism, drawing in 250,000 visitors each year to eleven caves, while more caves remain to be found.

If exploring the astonishing sights of underground worlds is your interest, then there are plenty of hotels in New South Wales from which to choose that will bring you close to the cave system. If you want to explore the caves more on the Internet, take a look at the Jenolan Caves Historical & Preservation Society .

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