Capricorn Caves

The Capricorn Caves formed in limestone that began as a coral reef around 390 million years ago, later uplifted into a ridge north of Rockhampton, and they have been open to visitors since 1884, making them the oldest privately operated tourist attraction in Queensland. The tours are above the water table, so the caves are dry, warm and easy to walk, unusual among Australian show caves. The Cathedral Cave is a high natural chamber with acoustics good enough that it is used for concerts, weddings and carol services. Around the summer solstice, a shaft of sunlight enters one chamber through a hole in the roof and strikes the floor, an effect promoted as the solstice light show.

History

The Norwegian migrant John Olsen found the caves in 1881, took up the land on a lease and opened them to the public in 1884, which makes them one of the longest-running tourist attractions in Queensland; the land later became freehold, and the caves remain one of the largest privately owned cave systems in Australia (Wikipedia, Capricorn Caves).

What you'll find

• The Cathedral Cave - a high chamber with acoustics used for music and ceremonies.
• The reef limestone - fossils in rock formed as a coral reef 390 million years ago.
• The solstice light - the December sunbeam entering through the cave roof.
• The dry passages - warm, walkable caves above the water table.

When to go

April to October for comfortable weather outside; the caves stay warm year-round. The solstice light effect runs for a few weeks around December and is ticketed separately. Adventure caving tours require booking and a minimum age.

Before you go

Access is by guided tour only, on a timetable. The adventure tour involves squeezing through tight passages and is not for the claustrophobic. The caves are dry, so they lack the dripping formations some visitors expect.

Nearby

Rockhampton lies south; Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast are east.

Key facts