Jenolan Caves

Riddle of the day: What grows but is not alive?

Answer: Stalgamites, stalgatites and helicites. The underground cave world is home to growing formations that are not alive, yet continue to grow over millions of years.

Jenolan Caves is a large cave system about 3 hr drive west of Sydney and part of the Blue Mountain tourism attractions. It is an attraction with 13 show caves (caves decorated with white lights open for touring) and a wide array of adventure tours and activities.

Jenolan Caves is also an excellent example of great tourism management. Jenolan Caves not only has to its credit the title of oldest discovered cave, it is also a fantastically run tourism site. They have transformed the typical cave tour into an underground world experience.

For example, they use their Cathedral Chapel in their Lucas Cave to hold weekend classical concerts. Musicians have claimed that the acoustics in the cave rival, if not surpass, those of the Sydney Opera House. Concerts in Caves??? Seriously. Who would have thought about holding musical concerts in caves! And the result is phenomenal. Jenolan Caves offers a range of showcase caves with lights, along with spelunking adventures and ghost tours. Absolutely fantastic. If you are in the Sydney/Blue Mountain area, they are definitely a must visit.