Cutta Cutta Caves

Cutta Cutta is one of the few tropical limestone cave systems in Australia open to visitors, formed in rock laid down some five hundred million years ago and cut by water that still rises into the lower chambers each wet season. Guided tours run through the main cave past stalactites, columns and shawls, and the wildlife is the distinguishing feature: orange horseshoe bats, a rare and vulnerable species, roost here in one of their few known colonies, along with ghost bats, and brown tree snakes hunt them in the ceiling. The name means many stars in the Jawoyn language. The caves flood during the wet and tours are suspended when water levels rise.

What you actually see

• The orange horseshoe bats - a rare colony roosting in the chambers.
• The brown tree snakes - hunting bats along the cave ceiling.
• The formations - stalactites, columns and shawls in tropical limestone.
• The flood marks - evidence of wet season water filling the lower cave.

When to go

May to September; the caves flood in the wet season and tours close, sometimes for months. Tours run to a set daily schedule and should be confirmed before travelling. The cave is warm and humid, unlike most show caves.

Honest expectations

Access is by guided tour only, at fixed times, and the caves close in the wet. The interior is hot and humid rather than cool. Bats and snakes are the highlight for some and unwelcome for others.

Nearby

Katherine and Nitmiluk Gorge lie north; Mataranka is south.