The Jenolan Caves are around 164 kilometres from Sydney, in the
Blue Mountains. They are set in a valley on the far side of the
Great Dividing Range and 793 metres above sea level. I drove to
the Jenolan caves from Mt Victoria. The drive took far longer
than I anticipated because the road becomes increasingly windy,
with single lanes and passing places perilously close to sheer
drops. 
The drive
ends with a huge rock arch which you drive through, up a hill and
park up a hill the other side.
The Jenolan Caves were known to the local Aboriginal population
for many thousands of years as Binoomea, meaning “Dark
places”. History has it that the first European to discover
the caves was the bushranger and escaped convict James McKeown. A
report in the Australian Argus newspaper sometime between 1838
and 1841 says: “James McKeown was an escaped convict…whose
presence on the main western road was for years excessively
irritating to the settlers, on whose stores he laid an oppressive
toll. Local pastor James Whalan set out to track McKeown and
followed him up hill and down dale for miles. 
After they
had covered about 20 miles the bushranger suddenly
disappeared…The tracks led up to a wild cavern and into
it…and burst again into open day, and the route lay along a
rugged gorge for some three miles. Here the bushranger again
disappeared…All about were evidences of careful cultivation,
the bushranger having laid out quite a nice little farm.
Satisfied that he had run down his bird, Whalan retraced his
steps…When he returned home he told his brother Charles of the
strange country he had wandered into. 'I have been through
the Devil's Coachhouse,' he said. Next day a party was
made up, and with the aid of troopers McKeown was captured. His
hiding place was a huge hole in the mountain-side, known now as
McKeown's Hole…McKeown lived to return from a long term of
exile on Norfolk Island and to re-visit the scene of his former
exploits.”
There are 22 major caves in the Jenolan system. Of these, nine
are open for guided tours: the Imperial, Chifley, Jubilee, Lucas,
Pool of Cerberus, River, Orient, Temple of Baal and Ribbon. The
caves have strange features with odd names like 'Gem of the
West', 'Gabriel's Wing', 'Lot's Wife'
and the 'Bishop and Three Sisters.' You can also stay at
the caves, though out of the Beetle's price range, at the
Caves House, a really pretty looking building with cosy log
fires. 
In 1866 the caves
were controlled by the Australian government. In 1867, Jeremiah
Wilson was appointed as “Keeper” of the
'Binda', or 'Fish River' Caves. The Aboriginal
word Jenolan (“high mountain”) was not used until 1884.
During the early years, visitors were allowed to break formations
and take souvenirs from the caves and some of the evidence of
this vandalism can still be seen today. It was not until 1872
that taking souvenirs became illegal. In the 1880's Jenolan
began to emerge as a tourist destination. 
Jeremiah
Wilson, a keen caver explored the end of the Elder Cave and in
1879 descended a shaft and rockpile to discover the Imperial
Cave. This was soon followed by the discovery of the “Left
Imperial” in 1880 (renamed the Chifley Cave in 1952 after
Prime Minister J.B Chifley). Development within the caves of
pathways and the protection of formations along with electric
lighting started in 1887. Even more caves were discovered in
1903, despite exploration being made only by candlelight. Today,
over 250,000 visitors make tours of the Jenolan caves.
The Beetle visited the Orient cave. Times of all tours to the nine caves are on a large notice board opposite the ticket office. Allow plenty of time to get to the caves, and plenty of petrol in your car too, for between certain times of the day, you cannot return the way you came, you have to make a big loop.
We are
sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still e-mailing
strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of travel book reviews
and things that caught his eye.