Mammoth Cave (Western Australia)
| Mammoth Cave | |
|---|---|
 Interior of Mammoth Cave | |
 | |
| Location | Boranup, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°03′29″S 115°01′50″E / 34.05806°S 115.03056°E |
| Depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Length | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Discovery | 1850[1] (European) |
| Geology | Karst cave |
| Access | Self-guided audio tours |
| Registry | 6WI-38[2] |
Mammoth Cave is a large limestone cave 21 km (13 mi) south of the town of Margaret River in south-western Western Australia, and about 300 km (190 mi) south of Perth. It lies within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and is surrounded by karri and marri forest. There have been extinct animal fossils found in Mammoth Cave.
Exploration
[edit]The cave is 500 m (1,600 ft) long and 30 m (98 ft) deep. It has been known from about 1850 to European settlers of the Margaret River district, but it was not explored until 1895.[1] Its first explorer, Tim Connelly, who was appointed caretaker of the cave, conducted tours by lamplight until 1904 when electric lighting was installed.
Fossils
[edit]
The cave has been studied for over a century.[3] It has yielded fossils of Pleistocene fauna over 35,000 years old, including those of thylacines and the giant marsupial herbivore Zygomaturus.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Jochen Duckeck (2011). "Mammoth Cave". Show Caves of the World. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ "Australian Karst Index Database". Australian Speleological Federation. 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ "Western Australia". The Capricornian. Rockhampton, Qld: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1909. p. 23. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
External links
[edit]- "Mammoth Cave". Margaret River Wine Region. Margaret River Visitor Centre. Retrieved 11 March 2011.