Mount Etna Caves National Park

Great place even for a short stop only. Clean and green. Optionally walking and hiking. Good to take a break.
5 8 years ago (01-06-2017)

I have spent many days wandering over the limestone karst of this NP. From memory, there are 49 known caves Mt Etna alone. I have found about 5 of them, and another 5 on Limestone Ridge, which has countless caves and false entrances. Some are huge, able to contain four or more two level houses in the one cavern if someone had the urge. Other have entrances well camouflaged by native figs, that ironically provide a ladder of roots into a cave when the entrance is found. The old Cammoo tourist cave is gated to prevent any more vandalism. A lot of the infrastructure still exists inside though. There is an easy, 'secret' crawl space near the gate that allows you to sneak in. Further up the hill, behind the old tourist cave is an even older 'tourist' cave, named 'Flogged Horse'. This cave has been at various times in history, a guano mine, a residence, and a tourist cave. Concrete walls were constructed to create offices in some grottos. Walls were blasted to make removal of guano easier as well. The entrance is almost vertical, with an old, decaying stair case providing access. At some point in the past, a section of rail track, and a steel guano cart were mounted beside the steps as a museum piece. This cave is *very* unstable and I would not recommend venturing into these caverns. It also supports a large population of Little Bent-Winged bats that should not be disturbed. Venturing to the top of the limestone ridge will reward you with little known caves that reach deep into the karst. Be sure to wear very strong hiking shoes in this country. The sharp limestone pinnacles are ruthless on weak footwear. As for caving, follow all save caving practices and always have a buddy. Be sure to take a tour when the Little Bent winged bats are roosting. The spectacle of nearly 200 thousand bats emerging from bat Cleft is amazing. Across the road from Mt Etna is an old limestone/guano mine as well. This one has had years of blasting, yet nowadays maintains one of the largest populations of Giant Ghost Bats in Australia. These bats are considered endangered, and a specially designed gate has been built to allow these large bats access during roosting times, while keeping humans out. I recommend this park with 5 stars. It is relatively unknown, has barbeque facilities (no camping) and toilets, as well as a large well maintained grassy area and has also been planted with many local native shrubs and trees. The picnic area is on the site of the old tourist cave office. You can follow a nature trail past the old tourist cave, and through the rainforest. The walk is signposted with information about the area you are walking through. Check it out sometime. Turn off at the Caves township, about 15-20km North of Rockhampton. Turn right at the school and head up to Cammoo Caves Road. The park is at the end. The Bat Cleft tours are conducted on Mt Etna (straight ahead past the school). Enquire at the historic Caves Pub about the tours.
5 11 years ago (28-12-2013)