Jewel Cave

Jewel Cave lies in the limestone ridge that runs the length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste peninsula, discovered in 1957 and opened to visitors in 1959. It is the largest show cave in the state, with three main chambers on a guided route of around five hundred metres and five hundred steps, holding flowstone, shawls, columns and a straw stalactite measured at over five and a half metres, among the longest in any cave open to the public. Fossil remains of a Tasmanian tiger were found in the cave, dated to thousands of years ago. Water levels in the cave lake have fallen markedly with the region's declining rainfall, a change the guides point out.

Highlights

• The great straw - a stalactite over five metres long in the main chamber.
• The three chambers - the guided route through the cave's main spaces.
• The flowstone and shawls - heavy decoration through the passages.
• The thylacine find - interpretation of the Tasmanian tiger remains found here.

When to go

Year-round; the cave holds a constant cool temperature. Tours run to a daily timetable and should be booked in school holidays. Combining with Lake Cave and Mammoth Cave on the same road is common.

What to expect

Access is by guided tour only, with around five hundred steps and no alternative route, which rules it out for limited mobility. Tours are timed and can sell out. Photography is allowed but tripods are not.

Nearby

Augusta and Cape Leeuwin lie south; Margaret River is north along Caves Road.

Key facts