Cathedral Cave

The Cathedral Cave in the Naracoorte Caves National Park was once a popular tourist attraction near Naracoorte.

Its distinguishing feature is its large entrance chamber; since it resembles a cathedral, this is what the cave has been named after.

Aside from being worthy of a visit because of its unique geological formations, the cave is also significant for its value in palaeontology and geology. The cave is recognised for its wide variety of fossils. Through state-of-the-art analysis, palaeontologists were able to find out that the cave was home to animals from 160,000-280,000 years ago. They also discovered that based on an analysis of the fauna, herbivores once lived in the woodlands or verdant forests nearby.

When the Cathedral Cave became famous several years ago, visitors flocked to see it. However, due to tourist activity, the caves incurred damage. This required the cave to be shut down for rehabilitation and protection and entry is only available by special permit only.

Therefore, visitors are recommended to take advantage of the tours to the other nearby caves and attractions. The tour guides in the area are friendly and knowledgeable and give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience that you won’t get anywhere else.