buchan caves.

As you know from our recent entries, I’ve been working in Bairnsdale, Victoria for the past few weeks.  While the town itself isn’t exactly a place I would choose for a vacation getaway, it does have some really wonderful attractions within a short drive.  One of those that came highly recommended from some of my coworkers was Buchan Caves, located about an hour drive from Bairnsdale off the Great Alpine Road.  As I’ve never been to a proper cave before (something I hate to admit considering my profession), it was high time that I rectified this.

It was a perfect sunny day, which made the drive really enjoyable, but wouldn’t have made any difference for our enjoyment of the cave.  I know what you’re thinking: “That’s because it’s a cave, Ben.  A completely enclosed, dark, bat-infested cave with absolutely no sunlight.”  Well, you’re right (except about the bats, there weren’t any in these caves).  But the real reason the weather didn’t matter is that we learned the caves are a pleasant 17 degrees Celsius (about 63 degrees Fahrenheit) all the time.  In summer when it’s 40 degrees or in winter when it’s below 0 outside, the caves are always 17 degrees.  That’s pretty awesome.  When we asked our guide how they regulate the caves to keep them at such a constant temperature, she responded that they don’t do anything.  It’s part of the natural state of the caves that they are able to maintain a constant temperature all year round.

the entrance to the caves.

just kidding. this is the real cave entrance.

The cave system of Buchan consists of two main caves, Royal Cave and Fairy Cave, with multiple guided tours each day (for a fee of course).  There is also a third cave, Federal Cave, that you can book a private tour of, but as it was more expensive than the other two caves combined, we decided to stick with the two main caves.  Both caves have narrow concrete pathways, and lighting throughout which highlight the areas with the most impressive stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and other features.  As we first entered each cave, our guide had us descend the path until we came to a larger open area.  Once the entire group was all huddled together in the dark, the guide turned on the lights in the chamber to reveal our first taste of the beauty of the cave.  As we continued to proceed through the various parts of each cave, we would walk until we reached a dark chamber, then the guide would turn on the next set of lights to reveal the next stage of our journey.  Real spelunking with hard hats and head lamps this was not, but it also made it really easy to enjoy the beauty of the caves, as you can see from our photos.

first view of the royal caves

calcite-rimmed pool

according to the tour guide, these caves are around 8 million years old. amazing.

fairy cave

crouching through caves is not for the claustrophobic!

bacon formations, aka sheets. 

I think my favorite part of the caves were the bacon formations (known to the educated as Sheets), the calcite-rimmed pools in Royal Cave, and the bones of a prehistoric kangaroo that was apparently larger than a horse (funny and random note – when searching around some websites, I found one that listed the bones as being from a wombat that was the size of a horse.  Now that would be a sight to see).  I found Royal Cave to be the more impressive of the two for a few reasons: 1) The pools were really beautiful, 2) It was the first cave we went in, so everything was new and exciting, and 3) It was taller than Fairy Cave so I didn’t have to crouch down the entire time (Candice, standing at a mighty five feet three inches, did bump her head a few times!).  So if you’re in the area and only have time for one tour, I’d recommend Royal Cave. 

But I’m just a geologist, so what would I know.

BK