About 340 million years old Jenolan Caves are the worlds oldest caves and it is one of Australia’s national treasures. Yes... 340 Million years old!!!
It is one of our favorite places to enjoy a day tour. My family is still like Jenolan caves scenic drive and cool weather even though we have been there many times.
The Jenolan Caves were once part of a seabed millions of years ago. After that the whole area was lifted into mountains. Shells and Corals fossils are found in the rocks of the caves, which are the most remarkable limestone cave system in Australia.
This spectacular showcase located in the beautiful Blue Mountains World heritage area and only a 3 hours drive (175km/ 109miles) from Sydney Airport and from Canberra make a great day or overnight excursion.
Most visitors drive to the Jenolan Caves from Sydney and Canberra. It is the common and easiest way. But several privately owned coach companies come to Jenolan Caves, from Sydney, Katoomba and further away. A tour from a company can be booked if you like a group tour.
Reaching Jenolan Caves
Reaching the caves is not hard from Sydney. Once you have passed Katoomba, turn left at the Jenolan Caves turnoff just pass the Hartley Historic Village. Jenolan Caves Road goes
through the beautiful village of Hampton and finally to Jenolan Caves.
There is no public transport to Jenolan Caves. However,you can take a train to Leura station and take a taxi to the Jenolan caves.
Jenolan is not suitable for caravans, however caravan parks in nearby Oberon or Lithgow can accommodate you.
But make sure you have lots of fuel as there are no service
stations beyond Lithgow.
Scenic Twisty Drive from Katoomba
The drive from Katoomba, follows the high ridge tops with has stunning picturesque views. Normally we have a break and enjoy the scenery in pasture lands after Lithgow. The Pine forests, rural villages winding road and beautiful mountains are amazing and don't miss the chance to get relax and take gorgeous photos. The Jenolan Caves are accessed by passing through one of the most
dramatic and impressive stretches of road in all of New South Wales.
The last 8km of the drive that is sign posted steep and windy.The last sealed section to the caves is very tight, twisty and narrow. If
you pass another vehicle
you will be driving right near the edge with about a 500m drop down
into the valley below full of trees. This journey offers spectacular scenery and terrible scary feelings as well.
There are 450 spaces for cars, camper vans and buses, about 5 minutes walk to the main ticket office. Parking is free of charge. Normally we do not book a tour online and get tickets at the office, but booking would be preferable and absolute on weekends.
Cave Tours
There are 11 richly decorated show caves to be seen on tours for all ages and fitness levels. The cave network has over 40 km (25 Miles) of multi level passages
offering easy site seeing walks, educational and historical tours to
active adventure caving, night tours, ghost tours, multi-lingual
self-guided tour, bush walks and underground concerts. During school holidays, there are tours that have been specially developed for children, aged 7-12.
There are wonderful walking tracks in external caves to explore along the river. The caves have paths, handrails and subtle lighting, designed to
highlight the most outstanding cave features and enhance your experience
of the amazing underworld. You can tour any of 11 amazing caves, each one
different. Tours are 1 to 2 hours in duration. You must take a tour, no self guided tours allowed. All this caves include stairs. Some are easy but some are bit difficult to elderly people.
Popular Caves
- The Aladdin’s Cave,
- The Lucas Cave,
- The Orient Cave,
- The Temple of Baal,
- River Cave,
- Mammoth Cave,
- Chifley Cave,
- Imperial Cave,
- Jubilee Cave,
- Nettle Cave,
- Elder Cave
- Ribbon Cave
- Jersey Cave
- Arch Cave are the most popular caves at Jenolan caves.
Lucas Cave
Among them, Lucas Cave is the most interesting cave. It offers the biggest chamber of all Jenolan caves and a wider range of different cave formations. The whole Lucas cave tour takes 1 1/2 hours. You will need to walk several flights of stairs to get to the Lucas caves. The Jenolan cave system has a lowest level with a cave river.
Here at Lucas is the only possibility to get a glimpse of this underground river. The highest chamber is the Cathedral is reaching 54 meters(177 feet). The blue green water flows 20m below the tour path and we can cross on a bridge.
The caves were created millions of years ago
through a complex relationship between water, rock, atmosphere and the
lifeforms that inhabit the environment. Within their ancient depths, you can see marine fossils and calcite
formations which are often pure white and incredibly surreal. 
Underground, the caves follow a network of tunnels and caverns that run alongside a subterranean section of the Jenolan River. The caves are a network of ancient limestone tunnels, subterranean
rivers and caverns richly draped with exotic mineral deposits.
Since their discovery by European settlers in the 1830s, more than 40kms of multi-level passageways have been explored and mapped.
Geological History
Scientists have determined, through the examination of the clay found in the caves, that the Jenolan subterranean system is around 340 million years old which makes them the oldest known and dated open cave system on the planet.
Today, they remain the most ancient, open caves that have been discovered on the planet.
Indigenous Believe
The traditional owners of this land are the Wiradjuri and the Gundungurra people. That local Aboriginal people first named the Jenolan Caves as "Binnomea" or "dark places".
The caves still remain a significant part of Indigenous culture. In the
past, the Gundungurra people travelled through the caves to the
subterranean water where they bathed their sick people because it was believed
that the waters of the Jenolan River have curative powers.
Amazing Memory
This was our third visit to Jenolan caves and it always leaves me speechless. Jenolan Caves as a natural attraction is absolutely beautiful. You won’t be disappointed with the cave. The temperature is a nice 10-15 degrees and is all year around. This place is amazing! You feel like you are in another world when you drive through the entrance tunnel. My children did really well with the tour including my little one. Might be hard for little kids to climb the stairs, so you might need to carry them. Our tour guide was great, entertaining and very informative, really made the tour enjoyable and interesting. Kids Loved. The sound and light effects in the cave were great and brought it to life.
This was our third visit to Jenolan caves and it always leaves me speechless. Jenolan Caves as a natural attraction is absolutely beautiful. You won’t be disappointed with the cave. The temperature is a nice 10-15 degrees and is all year around. This place is amazing! You feel like you are in another world when you drive through the entrance tunnel. My children did really well with the tour including my little one. Might be hard for little kids to climb the stairs, so you might need to carry them. Our tour guide was great, entertaining and very informative, really made the tour enjoyable and interesting. Kids Loved. The sound and light effects in the cave were great and brought it to life.
The colored lights at the end were fun. The guided tour was absolutely recommended and
you had plenty of time to take photos, ask questions and didn't feel
rushed to get to the next section of the cave. They
take such good care of the caves and the main focus is to preserve it
for future generations.
Jenolan has the most spectacular and best known Limestone caves in Australia. A great photo opportunity for the heritage buildings and the many cave hikes. Hard to believe places like this exist. Photos don't do these caves justice. It is absolutely amazing!!! It's chambers are simply
incredible. It is magnificent and very beautiful tour. Our young kids had learned a lot about the history and geography
of this cave network.
The Jenolan caves are set in a 2416 hectare reserve which has beautiful bush
trails with lookouts and restful spots to enjoy the scenery. Colorful
birds and Australian native animals, wallabies, kangaroos, possums, echidna platypus and
wombats make their homes in this habitat.
UNESCO World Heritage
The caves and conservation reserve are one of the eight protected areas that was inscribed in 2000 to form part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains Area.
The caves and conservation reserve are one of the eight protected areas that was inscribed in 2000 to form part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains Area.
There are so much amazing things that happen
millions of years ago and worth a visit. It is honestly a beautiful place to visit. I would recommend Jenolan if you have plenty of time to explore the surrounds such as walking treks as well as the other caves.
Jenolan Caves is a magical place to spend a weekend or
several days as a romantic escape or as a fun place with families and friends. Remarkable beautiful and awesome natural cave formation was a very fascinating tour and memorable too.
One of the most beautiful caves I have ever been to.This is a must do! It was magnificent and a great destination for all ages
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