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364:(SUSS) have mapped extended and discovered new sections of caverns in the area. There has been particular emphasis by SUSS cave diving. There are now 26 in the reserve. The most important discoveries have been McCavity Cave, a subterranean lake under Limekiln Cave and the rediscovery of Anticline Cave that had in the past been buried in the Wellington Caves Caravan Park.
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Phosphate Mine was in production from 1914 to 1918 however only 6000 tons of rock with limited amounts of phosphate were removed. The mine passages, mostly backfilled and collapsed, lay dormant for almost 80 years until they were reconstructed and reopened for tours in 1996. Cathedral Cave, Gaden Cave and the
Phosphate Mine are shown as guided tours.
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By 1888 over 1,500 people a year were visiting them. Currently approximately 35,000 people visit the caves annually. in 2019 a new
Visitor Experience Centre was constructed to include a Cafe, award winning museum exhibition and discovery classroom running lab sessions for families and children. There
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The caves were frequently vandalised during the nineteenth century until 1884, when they were declared a natural reserve. Organised tours of
Cathedral Cave began about 1885 with the appointment of the first caretaker, James Sibbald. Gaden Cave was discovered in 1902 and developed in 1909. The
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around 1826 (see image at right) clearly shows
Aboriginal people in front of a fire at the entrance to Cathedral Cave; although labelled 'Mosman's Cave', it is clearly the entrance to Cathedral Cave — and such is the first written record of the caves.
660:
Krefft, G. (1870), Guide to the
Australian Fossil Remains, Exhibited by the Trustees of The Australian Museum, and arranged and named by Gerard Krefft, F.L.S., Curator and Secretary, Sydney: F. White, Government
344:, conducted two separate extensive excavations (in 1866 and 1869) and collected many significant fossil specimens for the museum — although collapses and other geological phenomena have splintered and scattered
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Krefft, G (1866), (Mr. Krefft’s Report on the Fossil
Remains found in the Caves of Wellington Valley, made to the Honorable. T. A. Murray, President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales),
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opened for guided tours in 1885. Cathedral Cave is famous for its huge stalagmite known as Altar Rock which is 32 metres in circumference at its base and over 15 metres high.
269:. While there is no direct evidence that they entered any of the caves at Wellington, there is indirect evidence that they were well aware of them. A picture painted by
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Phosphate Mine opened for guided tours since 1996. Apart from viewing the old workings, visitors can see 800,000-year-old deposits containing fossil bones.
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is also an onsite motel and caravan park offering motel rooms, powered sites and camping with amenities, swimming pool, kitchen and recreation room.
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This is an old collapsed doline. It appears to be the route through which fossil-bearing sediments washed into the chambers below.
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Lime Kiln Cave is the name given to the dry part of a large cave system, most of which is completely water-filled.
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605:"The late Quaternary sediments and fossils vertebrate fauna from Cathedral Cave, Wellington Cave, New South Wales"
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This is the site from which the first
Australian fossils for scientific study were collected by George Ranken.
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and collected a huge variety of bones from the caves which appear to have acted as a natural trap for
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An excavation at this site discovered an unknown species of bat that occupied the cave during the
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Gaden Cave opened for guided tours since 1909. Gaden Cave is noted for its unusual and beautiful
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in reference to Koppa, a spirit that was reported by indigenous informants to inhabit the cave.
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limestone, which is about 400 million years old. That limestone is part of the Garra
Formation.
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This is a small doline cave leading to water. It is in the process of being re-opened.
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McCavity is the under-water section of the cave which was discovered by members of the
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The first
Europeans to explore the caves were probably associated with Lieutenant
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Since that time the cave has been a steady source of information about ancient
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The
Wellington Caves. Treasure Trove of Fossils, Dubbo, Macquarie Publications
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epoch, several million years ago, and is related to the modern carnivore
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The Wellington region was long inhabited by the 'Binjang mob' of the
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period was herbivorous and its teeth were well adapted to grazing.
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in 1828. Two years later George Ranken, a local magistrate, found
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Other caves in the Wellington caves are not open for tourism.
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in the caves. The diprotodon, which has been dated to the
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Mosman's Cave, Wellington Valley, New South Wales, No. 1
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Hand, S.J.; Dawson, L.; Augee, M. (31 December 1988).
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Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales
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The caves at Wellington are located in an outcrop of
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710:Sydney University Speleological Society (SUSS)
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249:located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of
665:Mike Augee, Chris George and Bruce Welch,
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321:Ranken returned later that year with Sir
226:Learn how and when to remove this message
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712:is a Sydney-based speleological society
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466:Sydney University Speleological Society
362:Sydney University Speleological Society
655:, (Saturday, 26 November 1870), p.15.
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682:The Wellington Caves and Abercrombie
646:, (Saturday, 22 December 1866), p.2.
164:adding citations to reliable sources
651:Anon (1870), The Wellington Caves,
414:(ghost bat). The species was named
16:Karst in New South Wales, Australia
741:Protected areas of New South Wales
584:from the original on 29 April 2019
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603:Dawson, L.; Augee, M. L. (1997).
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563:Records of the Australian Museum
360:Over many years, members of the
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151:needs additional citations for
726:Central West (New South Wales)
686:Joan Starr and Doug McMillan,
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336:and fauna — especially when
540:Anon (1870); Krefft (1870).
472:Water Cave (Anticline Cave)
251:Wellington, New South Wales
50:Show map of New South Wales
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509:Earle, Augustus. (1826),
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746:Caves of New South Wales
731:Show caves in Australia
751:Dubbo Regional Council
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106:32.62083°S 148.93806°E
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75:Show map of Australia
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160:improve this article
111:-32.62083; 148.93806
281:"Mosman's Cave" by
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175:"Wellington Caves"
675:978-0-9805289-0-9
342:Australian Museum
340:, Curator of the
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158:Please help
153:verification
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444:Other Caves
316:Pleistocene
216:August 2023
109: /
97:148°56′17″E
85:Coordinates
720:Categories
636:References
430:cave coral
424:Gaden Cave
308:diprotodon
186:newspapers
94:32°37′15″S
615:: 51–78.
346:skeletons
255:Australia
244:limestone
129:limestone
661:Printer.
617:Archived
579:Archived
480:Big Sink
460:McCavity
406:Pliocene
312:kangaroo
690:, 1985.
623:11 June
588:11 June
380:Tourism
368:Geology
334:geology
285:, 1826.
261:History
200:scholar
122:Geology
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518:4 June
304:fossil
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582:(PDF)
559:(PDF)
496:Notes
389:Caves
327:fauna
247:caves
207:JSTOR
193:books
671:ISBN
625:2019
590:2019
520:2019
238:The
179:news
613:117
571:doi
162:by
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