Undara Lava Tubes

Around 190,000 years ago the Undara volcano erupted and sent lava flowing along river valleys; the surface cooled and crusted while molten rock continued to drain beneath, leaving hollow tubes that in places are twenty metres wide and high enough to stand in comfortably. Sections of roof have since collapsed, creating entrances and pockets of vine thicket in the arid savannah where moisture collects. Access is by guided tour only, run from the Undara Experience lodge, which uses restored railway carriages as accommodation. Microbats stream out of some tube entrances at dusk, pursued by pythons that hang at the openings to catch them, a nightly event visitors can watch.

History

Undara is an Aboriginal word for a long way, and the Ewamian people are the traditional owners. Europeans moved in during the 1860s and grazed cattle here, the Collins family settling in 1862, the lava tubes were well known by 1891 and had occasional visitors, and the national park was established in 1989, the year guided tours began, with the Collins family's tourist business kept on a special lease; in 2009 it was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland (Wikipedia, Undara Volcanic National Park).

What you'll find

• The lava tubes - vast hollow tunnels entered on guided walks.
• The collapse entrances - sinkholes with vine thicket in dry savannah.
• The bat exodus - microbats leaving at dusk with pythons waiting.
• The railway carriages - restored carriages used as lodge accommodation.

When to go

April to October; the wet season brings heat and roads that can flood. Tours run to a daily timetable and must be booked with the lodge, which holds the access rights. The bat and python event happens at dusk in the warmer months.

Good to know

The tubes cannot be visited independently; all access is through the lodge's paid tours. The site is remote, three to four hours from Cairns, with no other services nearby. Tours involve uneven rock and some scrambling.

Nearby

Mount Surprise lies west; Cobbold Gorge is southwest in the Gulf country.

Key facts