Capricorn Caves
If you’re after the ultimate caving experience then the Capricorn Caves ticks all the boxes. It has something for every ability and age. This above ground cave system is cut through a limestone mountain and has an extraordinary amount of passages to explore. It is one of Australia’s largest privately owned cave systems and has been passed down from one generation to another. The story of how this cave was discovered and explored is fascinating. This is talked about during the tours so I will not ruin it for you now.
We spent an amazing 4 nights here and got to experience all the tours on offer. It was seriously the best time.
Location
30 Olsens Caves Rd, The Caves, QLD 4702
The caves are located roughly 25mins north of Rockhampton and 40 mins from Yeppoon. They are just of the A1 so getting there is very easy.
Accommodation
There is a large number of accommodation options available for every budget and family size. They have a few different sized cabins and even a lodge that can fit up to 48 people. We stayed in the caravan park which is only located about 2oo meters from the main entrance to the caves. There is power and water available and also a few unpowered sites. There is a camp kitchen, ablution block, laundry, BBQs and communal fire pits with fire wood provided every night. Hot tip; We had site 10 which almost has its own fire pit and is our pick of the sites. The sites can’t be reserved so its first in best dressed.
Onsite there is also a licensed bar and even a swimming pool which would be so refreshing after adventuring in the caves for the day.
Tours
There are 3 main tours available. The Cathedral Tour, Capricorn Explorer and the Capricorn Adventurer Tours. All tours are completely different so we had to do them all.
The Cathedral Tour is probably the most popular tour as it is open to all ages and mobilities. It is a gentle stroll through the caves and you get to experience the most popular spot in the caves which is the Cathedral Cave. This part of the cave is amazing! Not just for its appearance but for the sound quality that is produced here. It is often used for opera singing, weddings and so on. Part of this tour you get to experience first hand how magical the acoustics is in this section as you take a seat and listen to a beautiful piece of music that resonates of the walls and gives you those amazing goose bump feels. As the music is playing the lights begin to dim and change colour until you are sitting in total darkness for a few seconds. Its such a wonderful experience.
During this tour you are taken through a number of different sections and so much information is provided about how the caves were formed and what creatures are living there. The main creatures are the Micro-Bats who have been living in this cave system for thousands of years. We were lucky enough to have a later tour at 5pm and got to witness hundreds of bats flying around our heads before they made their way out to feed for the night. Truly and incredible experience. This was the Night Tour and Burger Night which included a burger, chips and salad. The food was terrific!
The Cathedral tour goes for 45mins. Adults are $30 and kids are $15. Kids under 3 are free of charge.
The Cathedral Night Tour and burger Night is also 45mins. Adults are $50.00 and kids are $27.50
The Capricorn Explorer tour is a real family adventure suited for ages 5 and up. They take you crawling, sliding and shimmy through some of the best spots in the cave for an adventure. Our boys absolutely loved this tour and relished any opportunity to get covered in bat poo. Which by the way the whole floor of the cave system is made up completely of this poo. Lucky though that is has been compressed by thousands of visitors over the years so it’s basically just like walking on dirt.
This tour goes for 90mins. Adults are $50 and kids are $25.
The Capricorn Adventurer tour is suited for ages 10 and up. This is one extreme cave exploration that is not for the faint hearted. If you’re not good with enclosed spaces then stick with the other tours as this one can get super tight. For this tour it is suggested that you get into some overalls that are supplied free of charge. This will stop your clothes from getting wrecked and completely covered in bat poo. They start this tour with a really good introduction which is a nice tight squeeze to try and get through. This can generally sort out how everybody will cope with the rest of the tour and if they wish to proceed. Some of the caves here are just incredible and a huge amount of fun to squeeze through. Anyone looking for that bit of extra adrenalin needs to put this one their list.
This tour goes for 120mins and the price is $65 per person.
For anybody else looking for that extra bit of adrenalin, you can also do some abseiling. This is also for ages 10 and up and was just most thrilling experience. You get to start with bit of an introductory drop off 5mtrs before doing the larger 25mtr drop. It was our eldest’s first time abseiling and he loved it. The big 25mtr drop was the best as you end up coming down onto the beautiful swing bridge which just adds to the whole experience.
This activity goes for 90mins and the price is $90 per person.
In summary we had the most amazing time exploring the caves and also the area around the caves over the 4 nights we stayed there. All the staff onsite are extremely passionate about their workplace and go above and beyond to make your experience memorable. The lengths they go to keep this cave system as preserved as possible is remarkable. This means that visitors will also be able to experience this unique place for many years to come.
Make sure you book in advance during school holidays as it books out fast.
Cheers,
Tom & Aimee
4 Boys and a Caravan
