Jenolan Caves

River Cave

Useful Information

Location:	4655 Jenolan Caves Road, Jenolan Caves NSW 2790. 182 km west of Sydney
Open:	Part of other tours. [2023]
Fee:	Part of other tours. [2023]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	LED
Dimension:	L=20,000 m, VR=200 m, A=790 m asl, T=16 °C.
Guided tours:	D=2 h, St=1,298.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	John Dunkley (2007): Jenolan Caves: Guides, Guests & Grottoes. Australian Speleological Federation 2007
Address:	Jenolan Caves, 4655 Jenolan Caves Road, Jenolan Caves NSW 2790, Tel: +61-2-6359-3911, Tel: 1300-76-33-11. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1903	discovered by James Carvosso Wiburd and J. Edwards.
1904	cave opened to the public.
1923	concrete bridge across River Styx built, boat tours discontinued.

Description

photography — Underground River, Imperial Cave, Jenolan Caves, Australia. Public Domain.

River Cave has the largest numbers of steps of all tours at Jenolan and so it is dubbed the most strenuous cave tour. 1,298 steps equal a height difference of about 120 m which is ascended and descended during the tour, fortunately not at once. A near vertical ladder is also part of the tours, women should think about wearing jeans, although the male participants would probably enjoy a short skirt.

This cave is not toured as a sepparate show cave tour, as it is necessary to cross another cave to get there. Despite having its own name, it is not a separate cave. Originally it was an (optional) part of the Showcave Lucas Cave tour, but it now seems to be a part of Imperial Cave.

As the name suggests, it goes down to the lowest level of the cave system, the active river passage level. The cave river is named River Styx and until 1923 it was crossed by a small boat, until the concrete bridge was built. We have a historic photograph of such a boat ride, which actually shows the cave guide James Carvosso Wiburd, the man with the moustache second from the left. There are various pools, huge stalagmites named the Minaret and the Grand Column, and the huge Queen’s Canopy. The river is illuminated underwater and has the typical blue glow of limestone rich water.

This section may be subject to flooding, so it is not always opene for tours. Lately it was closed for three years because of this.