Blue Mountains Jenolan Caves tour (Sydney)

by Katherine | Feb 14, 2017 | Australia, Travel | 65 comments

When you’re trying to decide on a Blue Mountains Jenolan Caves tour to take, it can get a little tricky. For starters, the caves are quite a drive away from Sydney proper (about three hours). So once you factor travel time in, you might get one or two Jenolan Caves tours in before you have to turn around and head back to the big smoke.

Then you have to take the cave difficulty and your travel companions into account. Will they be able to handle all the stair climbing involved? What about the more claustrophobic nature of some of the caves? Do you want to rent a car and drive to Jenolan Caves yourselves, or hop on a tour bus and let someone else worry about the driving?

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BLUE MOUNTAINS JENOLAN CAVES TOUR

Growing up in western Sydney with family and friends living overseas, we did our fair share of hosting and ferrying people to the tourist destinations in and around Sydney for quite a few years. I’ve got memories of Old Sydney Town near Gosford, etched in my brain for the wrong reasons (got yelled at by a teacher in the schoolhouse who looked like a mannequin). And my dad has a bunch of embarrassing stories to tell about my young self and the stupid things I’d do on long car rides. What I’m trying to say is that when it comes to Sydney tourist attractions, I’ve probably been there, and done that, multiple times.

The thin shawls hanging down from cave rooves are pretty astounding

So I can help with planning your Blue Mountains Jenolan Caves tour and giving you some insider information about the place. The limestone caves are the oldest discovered open caves in the world, and feature 40 kilometres (25 miles) of passageways across a multitude of levels. They can be accessed from over 300 entrances, so it stands to reason that Jenolan Caves are still be explored today. You can understand why tourists can’t just be let loose inside Jenolan Caves with a flashlight on their own. It’s way too easy to disappear down a rabbit hole and get lost. Estimated to be around 340 million years old, the cave complex contain fossils, bones of wombats and Tasmanian Devils, and spectacular crystal deposits, and “shawls”.

What Type of Tours Does Jenolan Caves Offer?

Even though there is such an expanse of caves and tunnels, just 11 caves are open to the public with a tour guide, who will tell stories about the caves’ discovery by European settlers, and what they meant to the Aboriginal people.

If you’re looking for just one Blue Mountains Jenolan Caves tour, you can choose from 13 different “Show Caves” tours. They tend to last a couple of hours and are relatively easy to traverse. Just watch your head for low low-hanging rocks and get ready to climb some stairs. You’ll be fine!

You’ll see stalagmites and stalagtites as well as glittering crystal deposits

Apart from them, are the tours for those who have a might have a little bit of experience under their belts and want to try something a little more adrenalin pumping. The “Adventure Caving” experience will have you doing everything from abseiling through or into your chosen cave and squeezing through tight spots just like the first explorers did. You will be challenged, but there are beginners Adventure Caving experiences that I would very highly recommend!

Then there are the Night Tours, which are held on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm to 10pm. Of course there is a ghost tour, what’s the point of being in a cavernous cave if you’re not accompanied by a few spooks? One of the night tours also shows old caves that have been taken off the daytime circuit, and there are some extended tours of caves you can see during the day.

If you have some claustrophobic members of your group, there are things for them to do while you’re getting acquainted with staligtites and staligmites. There are five separate, self-guided bushwalks (download the guides before you visit because there’s no reception out at the caves) that you can go on in the Blue Mountains. The mountains are World Heritage Listed and a beautiful slice of the Australian landscape that really shouldn’t be missed.

Jenolan Show Caves Tours

These are the most common tours that people visiting during the day will go on. They are listed here in order of strenuousness:

Imperial Cave: Easy with 358 steps, takes 1 hour
Temple of Baal: Average with 288 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
Orient Cave: Average with 358 steps, takes 1.5 hours
Diamond Cave: Average with 386 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
Ribbon Cave: Average with 394 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
Chifley Cave: Average with 421 steps, takes 1 hour
Chifley’s Secret Chambers: Average with 500 steps, takes 1.5 hours
Lucas Cave: Strenuous with 910 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
River Cave: Strenuous with 1298 stairs, takes 2 hours

Some of these only run weekly, or once a day so please check the Jenolan Caves website for the correct tour timetables and to book tickets.

Budget Tip: Booking your tour online in advance will net you a few dollars discount. But be sure that you can make the time and date you have selected, as no refunds are issued. You can swap for another tour if spaces are available, but any difference in pricing will not be refunded.

Lucas Cave at Jenolan Caves

My most recent visit to Jenolan Caves was a trip with my Californian other half, Mr M, who was getting the star tourist treatment when I took him to Sydney to meet my family. He had to get some reward for hopping on a 14 hour flight to meet a bunch of (admittedly lovely) strangers. We opted for the Lucas Cave, which is actually the most-toured cave in the complex. It’s easy to work out why: this cave has a bit of everything, including stairs.

To be precise there are 910 steps throughout the cave, so make sure you can handle the incline before buying tickets. If you think you can handle it, I highly recommend doing this tour because it seems to have a jaw-dropping scene hiding behind ever twist and around each corner.

The Cathedral Chamber is one of the highlights of this cave (and there are many), with great acoustics and a natural “alter” of sorts, this chamber has been used for church services, concerts and is still used for weddings. Once you get into the chamber, be ready for bit of pitch darkness (you’ll be warned first). Sure we have black out curtains at home, and can close doors, but we’re never really in total darkness. So it’s an interesting experience to be in a place with no light source at all and not even be able to see evidence of your hand waving in front of your eyes.

The Cathedral Chamber is cavernous, as you would imagine. In fact it’s so beautiful and the acoustics are so great that you’ll also get a little light and music show while you’re in there. Soak up every second of it!

And catch little glimpses of beauty everywhere you look.

We didn’t see any microbats on our tour, but I have seen them on previous tours so keep your eyes peeled for them. There are, however, many crystal formations: from the broken column, to the emu, the bride with her cascading wedding gown, the mushroom and a bunch more sparkling examples of millions of years of water dripping. Our tour guide also told stories of Victorian era tours of the caves, when women would have to squeeze through tiny entrances in skirts and men would hold lanterns to light the way. Methods of finding ways through the caves were also a little different back then. They would slide down smooth portions of the cave, and it wasn’t frowned upon to snap off a staligtite to keep as a souvenir.

But the icing on the cake for the Lucas Cave tour was the underground river, that is perfectly clear and blue on days when it hasn’t rained. It was also a water source for the Aboriginal people.

Over the years I’ve visited the caves a few times – for a tour of the Lucas Cave most recently, and for “Adventure Caving” on the Plughole tour into the Elder Cave.

San Francisco itinerary for first time visitors

Adventure Caving Down Plughole into Elder Cave

Did I mention that I’m both claustrophobic and not a fan of heights? To celebrate this, I decided to spend a few hours of squeezing through tight spaces, with a bit of abseiling thrown in for good measure. And I loved every second of the times when I wasn’t freaked out by the prospect of getting stuck in a cave.

There are three Adventure Caving options at Jenolan Caves, each ratcheting up the difficulty level:

Plughole: Runs for 2 hours and is the easiest of the three
Aladdin: Runs 3 hours and it helps if you’ve done Plughole before. It requires agility and is not recommended for claustrophobics
Mammoth: Runs 8 hours and is only available once a month. The most strenuous and requires previous caving experience

Keep in mind that Plughole is the introduction to adventure caving so it’s pretty laid back. Having never really done any proper caving before, and not successfully abseiled, it was the perfect introduction to both for you. It’s all safety first though, so you still get a fancy pair of blue overalls, a helmet and a headlamp so that you look like a proper miner. Or caver. Make sure you bring enclosed shoes that are fine to get dirty and muddy.

Plughole begins with a short (nine metre) abseil down to the mouth of the cave. This probably freaked me out the most since not only am I high up, but I’m also standing with my back to the height. It all went relatively smoothly despite my severe lack of coordination meaning that I ended up more horizontal than vertical at some points.

The Elder Cave is great because you’re always working with gravity to get through tight spaces and there are enough open caves for breathing space. Although some of the squeezes mean going feet first and not being able to see where you’re going to land. Having said that, the two tour guides were great with explanations and guiding you through.

There really are some squeezes in there

Two hours well spent. And I didn’t cry or whimper once, and I was very proud of myself for getting through the whole thing with a smile on my face. And for good measure, you get a certificate to commemorate your achievement!

Important Details: You need to book an Adventure Cave tour online or by phone at least 48 hours before you visit Jenolan Caves. It costs $100 and lasts for 2 hours. Be sure to wear comfortable enclosed shoes with a non-slip sole.

Getting There

Jenolan Caves is accessible by car or bus at 4655 Jenolan Caves Road, Jenolan Caves, 2790.

Several bus companies run services to and from the caves, including Grayline, AAT Kings, and FJ Tours.

Tour Times: The first tour starts at 9am and the last daytime tour begins at 5pm. Night tours are available, see the website for more details.

**Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links you don’t pay a cent more, but I receive a small commission, that is put towards the running of this blog.

65 Comments

Lydia C. Lee on February 14, 2017 at 7:40 pm

It's not really Sydney at all, it's over the Blue Mountains but WELL Worth the drive. We've stayed up there or over in Mt Tomah and done a daytrip from there. I love the Caves. They're quite fascinating!
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Rhonda Albom on February 14, 2017 at 7:44 pm

The caves look awesome. Thanks for the photos as I can be a bit claustrophobic too.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 14, 2017 at 7:46 pm

Geography… So difficult to work out. You're right though. The caves are great, so I'm glad you can overlook my geographical-crime 😉
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 14, 2017 at 7:46 pm

Thanks for visiting Rhonda, the caves are gorgeous if you can put aside the claustrophobia.
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Carolyn Melbourne on February 15, 2017 at 12:38 am

Thank you for writing such a lovely article about our caves!
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indah nuria Savitri on February 15, 2017 at 2:42 pm

Incredible place! Love to visit there myself..Cheers from NYC 🙂
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 15, 2017 at 4:21 pm

Any time, I love it there 🙂
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 15, 2017 at 4:21 pm

Maybe it needs a spot on your bucket list? It is really beautiful.
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Let me be Free Blog on February 15, 2017 at 11:57 pm

I love exploring caves, it is a great adventure. The lights on the cave look cool!
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Melanie @ Life's Sweet Words on February 16, 2017 at 12:29 am

I LOVE exploring caves, but I'm with you on the claustrophobia thing!! The real tight squeezes get me good! How long were you having to shimmy through that really tight one for?! I will always do it anyways, I just like to know what to be prepared for! This pictures have me want to go jump in one soon though!! Yay for exploring!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 12:52 am

Yep, the lights were a great treat at the end!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 12:53 am

Well this one wasn't bad at all Melanie. It was probably half a minute. If that. Not a tunnel really, that I can remember anyway. Have fun!
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Sydney Shop Girl on February 16, 2017 at 2:35 am

Good on you for confronting those fears to enjoy these caves. Thanks for sharing your photos and memories. You made me remember a primary school camping trip to the caves area just out of Perth where I grew up. It was a lot of fun. And later, I did visit the caves outside my mother's home town in Malaysia. Quite a different experience as the formations there were decorated with lots of religious statues and offerings.

SSG xxx
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Kathy Marris on February 16, 2017 at 4:35 am

I've heard of the Jenolan Caves but never been here I'm afraid. In fact I've not done much travelling inland from the coastal sections of New South Wales, which hopefully I will remedy next year. I'm glad we turned up the heat for you during your recent visit! #TeamLovinLife
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Min Write of the Middle on February 16, 2017 at 8:12 am

I'm both claustrophobic and not great with heights too but gee this looks like fun. I've heard of these caves but never been. I'll have to add that to my to do list because they look beautiful! #TeamLovinLife
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[email protected] on February 16, 2017 at 8:52 am

I love Jenolan Caves too. Such an awesome place to visit 🙂 #TeamLovinLife
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Snow in Tromso on February 16, 2017 at 5:51 pm

I've visited caves like that in Germany before but never heard about caves where you can go abseiling! Sounds pretty fun though!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 6:58 pm

There's nothing like a bit of adrenaline to keep you on your toes! Oh cool, you went camping in primary school? The closes we got was to Bathurst for some Gold Panning. And the Malaysian caves sound beautiful. I know they decorate caves like that in Malta as well.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 6:59 pm

Put it on your list for next year Kathy! You won't regret seeing at least one cave and maybe going for a bushwalk around the caves if you're that way inclined. Thanks for visiting 🙂
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 6:59 pm

There are lots of different levels of difficulty etc so I'm sure they can help you choose one that isn't too enclosed.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 7:00 pm

My Dad would take all of his relo's there when they visited from Malta. It was great because we got to go a few times when we were kids!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 7:00 pm

Haha, in Oz we have to do things a little differently right? I've been to an old mine outside of Vienna that was used as a bomb shelter during the war. It was great but I whacked my head a few times 😉
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Deborah Cook on February 16, 2017 at 10:23 pm

Oh my gosh, I've been there! So often I read blog posts about 'places to visit' and I've never ever been there but… in 1992-1993 (sometime around then) I went with my folks, bro and SIL to visit her parents who were outside of Sydney at the time. We did the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves… and some wineries enroute if memory serves me.

Of course this was very much pre-mobile / smartphone so I don't even know if I have pics!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 16, 2017 at 10:29 pm

Yay! I love it when someone posts about a place that I've been. I get to relive it. Hopefully some of the pictures are familiar to you Deborah. I didn't think to include some winery visits on the way up! But that's a good tip for next time!
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Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit on February 17, 2017 at 12:13 am

I've done Wombeyan Caves a few times and have taken the kids in their lifetime. I haven't done Jenolan since I was a kid though. I might need to rectify that.
#TeamLovinLife
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Ruth Rieckehoff on February 17, 2017 at 4:17 am

I really like caves and this one is no exception. You photos remind me of the ones I have been to (and how covered in mud I ended up). Not sure if I would be able to crawl thru one now that one of my knees is not doing well but I would like to do a not so "extreme" tour. #TPThursday
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Janet Camilleri on February 17, 2017 at 8:08 am

I love Jenolan Caves. The hotel there reminds me of the one in Dirty Dancing. What was it called … Kellerman's or something?!
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Lyn Lindfield on February 17, 2017 at 7:28 pm

David and I have just been talking about a return trip to Jenolan. We haven't been there for years. It is funny how you travel the world and then sometimes forget about the most amazing places in your own backyard.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 17, 2017 at 10:42 pm

I've heard of Wombeyan Caves heaps of times but I've never actually been. Jenolan is a bit of a hike from where you are, but it might be worth a weekender!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 17, 2017 at 10:43 pm

The "not so extreme" tour does not involve any crawling or getting muddy Ruth. It'd be perfect for you 🙂
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 17, 2017 at 10:43 pm

Oh my gosh, yes Janet! I totally see it now! Have you ever actually stayed there?
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 17, 2017 at 10:44 pm

You're so right Lyn. I was tour guiding my American boyfriend, and we went to heaps of places that I'd never actually gone to before.
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Life outside work on February 17, 2017 at 10:44 pm

Great pics! I'm a bit scared of heights and small spaces too – so well done for doing it! I think you are braver than me… maybe I'm best to start on a regular cave tour first and work up to it 😉 Jenolan isn't too far from us… will have to get down there and check it out!! #throughmylens
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Paula McInerney on February 18, 2017 at 5:26 am

Great write up of Jenolan Caves, and like others here, it has been a while since we visited.
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bettyl-NZ on February 18, 2017 at 5:53 am

Oh, my you are so much more adventurous than I have ever been! What fantastic scenes!
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Tanja/the Red Phone box travels on February 18, 2017 at 9:08 am

beautiful place! and well done! #wkdtravelinspiration
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Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid on February 18, 2017 at 12:07 pm

You're a braver woman than I! I've been to the caves many time and have visited almost all of them but I've never had the bottle to attempt the Plughole and don't think I ever will! That said, I enjoyed the virtual tour and exploring vicariously through you!
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Trish Burgess on February 18, 2017 at 12:49 pm

For someone who doesn't like tight spaces or heights, I'm amazed you gave the Plughole a go! But you must be thrilled that you did. I'm not sure I could do it. I once went on a geography field trip at school and shrieked when they turned the lights off for a minute in the limestone caves we were exploring. The idea was to show us what 'pitch black' looked like – yup, I got the idea!
#farawayfiles
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Corinne Vail on February 18, 2017 at 1:45 pm

OOOOhhhhh noooo. That is not for me. I'm so claustrophobic I'd either be screaming or passed out. Good on you that you can squeeze through and enjoy such tight spaces! Thanks for linking up with #wkendtravelinspiration! See you again next week!
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Lori Frey on February 18, 2017 at 8:51 pm

Caves look pretty awesome! Will have to remember these! #wkendtravelinspiration
(www.caliglobetrotter.wordpress.com)
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Jan Robinson on February 19, 2017 at 4:12 am

I've been to the Jenolan Caves twice (not the adventure tour though). Once as a kid and once with our own kids. They are definitely worth visiting but the traffic and road down to the township can be horrible.
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Ruth Daly on February 19, 2017 at 10:54 pm

What an amazing place to visit, and your photos are great – you really captured how stunning the surroundings are. #PhotoFriday
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:15 am

It's a great place to start out, there are heaps of caves to choose from!
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:15 am

Thanks for visiting Paula
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:17 am

Hahaha, I don't know about that, but it is beautiful over there.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:17 am

Thanks Tanja.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:20 am

I've only been through a couple of the caves so you've done more than I have. Plughole is pretty easy and you could do it if you wanted to, but I guess it's not for everyone.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:22 am

Ugh, I have a thing with having to do things that scare me. And it was such an awesome feeling when it was done.
Oh Trish, you poor thing! They did the pitch black thing to us as well. I think it's much easier if you have someone's hand to hold onto.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:22 am

Thanks for visiting Corinne! The claustrophobia can be such a nightmare.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:23 am

Thanks Lori, they were great.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:24 am

Maybe I was lucky since we were there on a Thursday, but we didn't hit any traffic. That's a good tip though, thanks Jan.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 20, 2017 at 12:24 am

Thanks for visiting Ruth!
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Kreete on February 21, 2017 at 2:05 am

I have had the pleasure to visit Lucas cave aswell, but I never got any good photos of it. My partner was filming with a go pro, but as we didnt have a stabiliser then and it was quite dark at times, you can only imagine how usable the footage is haha! I would suggest not going during a school holiday though, as most of the tours were all booked out by 11 am..
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 21, 2017 at 7:09 pm

Oh no! I was taking pictures on my phone and I've used some of those for this blog, but they're not as good as Mr M's fancy camera photos, which came out really well.
That's true, we did go on the first week back at school so it was quiet although there were still around 47 people on our tour.
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Erin Gustafson | Oregon Girl Around the World on February 22, 2017 at 10:09 pm

SPARKLE Caves? Yes please! Looks amazing. Athough my inner claustrophobe feels a wee bit worried how I would manage those tight squeezes. Thanks for sharing this cool place with #FarawayFiles, Erin
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eileen g on February 23, 2017 at 12:05 pm

The cave's interiors look interesting and even beautiful, but I'm with Corinne. you wouldn't catch me crawling through those tight spaces to get there. Glad you enjoyed it! #wkendtravelinspiration
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 23, 2017 at 9:43 pm

Hahaha, who can say no to a little bling?
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An Aussie in San Francisco on February 23, 2017 at 9:43 pm

Each to their own I guess Eileen. Everyone's idea of fun is a little different 🙂
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Abigail Castro on March 2, 2017 at 8:36 am

These caves are truly amazing! I am jealous that you get to explore them. I've only been caving once and I wanted to do it again. This seems like a great place to try caving again in!

GlobalGirlTravels.com
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An Aussie in San Francisco on March 2, 2017 at 8:31 pm

I'm glad that you liked them! You'll have to find some more caves to explore Abigail!
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Photo(Geo)grapher on March 18, 2017 at 6:02 pm

Great post. The cave look awesome.
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An Aussie in San Francisco on March 19, 2017 at 1:23 am

Thanks for visiting!
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Wanderlust Vegans on April 13, 2017 at 9:41 pm

Well this is an awesome adventure! I would love to explore these caves. To Australia we go.
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- Katherine on April 13, 2017 at 9:44 pm
  
  Australia has some great vegan restaurants as well!
  Reply