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The Story of Jenolan Caves

Jenolan is a true geological wonder — and, as noted above, officially the oldest known open cave system on the planet. Here is the detailed history and the most astonishing facts about this place.

Aboriginal significance & the Dreamtime. For the local Gundungurra and Wiradjuri peoples, these caves held immense sacred and practical significance over many thousands of years. They called them "Binoomea" — "Dark Places." The underground rivers were believed to hold powerful healing properties, and people made long journeys here, carrying the sick and injured to bathe in the crystal-clear, mineral-rich water. As at Wombeyan, Dreamtime mythology tells that the labyrinths are the tracks of a colossal chase: the giant eel-like serpent Gurangatch burrowed through the mountains to escape the hunter Mirragang, finding his safest refuges here in the deep water caves.

European discovery — the bushranger's lair. The European story reads like a movie script. In 1838 the caves were found by accident: pastoralist James Bloodworth tracked an escaped convict and bushranger, James McKeown, into the wild mountains and found the outlaw's hideout in a giant arch — known today as McKeown's Arch. By 1866, as word of the caves' beauty spread, tourists flooded in and broke off stalactites for souvenirs; to save the wonder, the NSW government placed the area under protection, making Jenolan one of the world's earliest official nature reserves. In 1889 an electric lighting system was installed underground — before electricity reached many streets of Sydney!

Astonishing facts:

• Older than the dinosaurs: in 2006, scientists at Australia's CSIRO dated the open chambers to about 340 million years — dinosaurs appeared 100 million years after the caves had already formed.
• Colossal scale: over 40 km of multi-level passages and 300+ entrances have been mapped, with new branches still being found; about 11 caves are open to the public.
• The Blue Lake: dissolved limestone and light refraction give the lake an unreal, glowing turquoise-blue colour — and it is one of the best wild places to see platypuses up close.
• Flawless acoustics: the Cathedral Chamber in the Lucas Cave is so acoustically perfect that underground symphony concerts and opera performances are held there.
• Crystals & helictites: unlike marble Wombeyan, Jenolan is classic limestone — home to rare helictites, crystals that grow defying gravity, twisting in every direction from the capillary pressure of water.