Wombeyan Caves, New South Wales

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Fig Tree Cave interior

The Wombeyan Caves are limestone caves set in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Access is by the Wombeyan Caves Road from either Mittagong in the east or from the Goulburn-Oberon Road in the west. The caves reserve is located towards the western end of the Wombeyan Caves Road. The part of the Wombeyan Caves Road east of the reserve is very rough and has many curves and narrow stretchs as it descends down to Wollondilly River and then up very rugged mountains. Some of the views are spectacular.

Wombeyan Caves is a tourist attraction and local holiday area, as well as a reserve for endangered species, such as several species of wallaby, bird, possum, and wombat.

The main site includes several camping grounds, a kiosk, a public phone, a kitchen, a barmah, and other public facilities. A ranger station is also positioned near the camping site; the rangers serve to collect camping fees from visitors, prevent unsafe human-wildlife association, protect local flora and fauna, and investigate any queries or complaints.

Caves found in this reserve include the Victorian Arch, one of the most popular due to its proximity to the camping grounds, and the Fig Tree cave, shown in the picture to the right. Other interesting sites are the creek, the waterfall and the various smaller caves found while traversing the extensive areas of forest in the area.

While strict rules are in place concerning human-wildlife interaction, local fauna are growing increasingly tame. Several species of birds, mainly magpies and Indian Mynahs, often come into direct contact with people, sometimes less than a foot away, and demanding food while campers are eating. Also, the numerous kangaroo packs are becoming increasingly trustful, and come within mere metres of campsites with no apparent trepidation. While this is much to the delight of human spectators, it is very worrisome to the long-term well-being of the local wildlife.