When you visit the Margaret River region, you’re usually on a pretty tight schedule so that you can appreciate all the tastes and sights of the area during your stay – but this means that you’ll probably only have time to see one cave. The best cave in Margaret River for you to visit will depend on your interests and needs, and this article is designed to help you decide on the right one for you. There are four beautiful show caves to choose from in the area, and all of them have different things to offer, so no matter which one you end up seeing it will surely be an awe-inspiring experience.
Choosing the Best Cave for You
There are many things that you need to consider when choosing the cave you’ll visit in the Margaret River region. It’s about picking the best cave in Margaret River for you, and what your accessibility needs, family requirements and interests are. Some of the caves are self-guided, so that means you can choose to spend less time there, which is perfect if you only have a short amount of time to look around. It’s also important to consider the amount of stairs for older people, and the accessibility for people with mobility impairments. Prioritise what you know you’ll enjoy the most, whether you’re a history nut, a crystal admirer, or a daring cave explorer. These Margaret River caves have something for everyone, so the whole family is sure to leave the region with the memory of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Ngilgi Cave
Ngilgi Cave is the most well-known cave in the Margaret River region, and it was Western Australia’s first tourist attraction. This option is perfect for families, as it has things to entertain both adults and kids. It’s also conveniently located on caves road, right in the middle of the wine region. The tour is semi-guided, which means that parents can learn a little something about the history of the cave and the aboriginal heritage of the area, and then there is time for the kids to explore the cave afterwards. A children’s crawl tunnel is a favourite activity, as the kids can feel like adventurous cave explorers while they wiggle through the tunnel to the other side. There’s also a touch table where both you and your kids can indulge the urge to find out what the crystals from the cave feel like.
Lake Cave
This cave is stunning, and an awe-inspiring stop for anyone visiting Margaret River. You enter through a dramatic karri forest sink-hole, and are met with the view of a permanent cave lake with an impressive ‘suspended table’ formation hanging just above the surface of the water. The cave is ‘actively dripping’ and this creates a peaceful feeling as you wander into its depths.
Lake Cave is the smallest show cave in Margaret River, but also the deepest, and you’ll enjoy a fully guided tour. This experience may be more suitable for adults and older children or teenagers, rather than a family with young children. Also, the staircases are designed so that there aren’t too many steps between rests, which could make it more accessible for people who can’t climb for long periods at a time.
Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave is a playground for history lovers and children alike, as it’s a time capsule for megafauna fossils – creatures from 50 000 years ago! You can follow the winding boardwalk on a journey through time, walking next to a winter stream that leads you past a giant fossilised jawbone embedded in the limestone wall of the cave. This cave was the site of an immensely important paleontological dig in the 1900s, and is also home to Tasmanian devil and thylacine bones.
As a self-guided tour, you can take your time and explore all of the sights the way you want to. The first chamber of this impressive cave is wheelchair accessible, so for anyone with mobility issues, Mammoth Cave would be the best choice. It’s also perfect for people who speak German, French, Malaysian, or Mandarin, as it’s a self-guided audio tour and you can pick the language.
Jewel Cave
If you’re looking for something truly impressive, then Jewel Cave is the way to go. As Western Australia’s largest show cave, it has three huge chambers that you can visit, all encrusted in a vast array of crystals and formations. There are countless fascinating things to look at, including one of the biggest straw stalactites in Australia, a large stalagmite called ‘The Karri Forest’, and flowstones like ‘The Organ Pipes’ and the ‘The Frozen Waterfall’.
Jewel Cave is ideal for families with older kids, as it’s a fully guided tour that lasts for an hour, and younger kids might get a bit impatient. There are also some tight parts of the path where you’ll need to duck down or squeeze through, but there are less stairs than some of the other options. If you’re a cave enthusiast who would love to learn a variety of new facts, and see a huge selection of formations, then Jewel Cave is a great choice.
Visiting Your Chosen Cave in Margaret River
Hopefully you now have a better idea of which cave you’re going to visit during your stay in Margaret River. If you would like a local expert to take the pressure off and organise some of your trip for you, then maybe a Margaret River tour is a good idea. Here at Harvest Tours, we visit Lake Cave on our Indulge & Discover Tour, so that you can experience a stunning natural wonder, as well as drink fine wine and taste delicious local produce. Our Margaret river wine tour is one of the best things to do in Margaret River, because you can relax, and let someone else do the work while you enjoy all that the region has to offer.
