Yarrangobilly

History

1834	Glory Arch discovered by the stockman John Bowman and explored with bark torches.
1888	first accommodation building constructed.
1896	Thermal Pool built out of wood.
1901	Caves House completed.
1906	Thermal Pool enlarged and cemented.
1919	Leo Hoad became caretaker of the caves..
1946	Leo Hoad retired.
1966-1968	caves and Caves House closed and modernized by prisoners from Cooma Gaol, new electric light.
04-JAN-2020 to 21-NOV-2020	park closed after a bushfire.

Description

Yarrangobilly Caves are about 300 caves in a small karst area southwest of Canberra in the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountans. This area is 1.5 km wide and 14 km long and consists of 440 Ma old Ordovician limestone. The caves were first discovered in 1834 by the stockman John Bowman. Most of the caves in the area were discovered by Leo Hoad, who worked as a guide at the caves from 1919 to 1946. He stayed at Yarrangobilly until the mid 1950s when he moved to Tumut.

Six of the caves are open to the public, but only three with regular guided tours, one with self-guided tours and the last two only after appointment for groups. Really impressive and freely accessible is the large cave entrance called Glory Arch. All visits start at the Caves House and Information Centre aka Yarrangobilly Caves Visitor Centre, which offers information on cave tours and tickets and about nearby attractions. It also sells maps, souvenirs, books and games, and it has a café and a barbecue area. The park offers various other activities like hiking trails. The caves have 23,000 visitors per year [2000].

There is also a Thermal Pool, a swimming pool filled with the 27 °C warm water from a thermal spring. It is estimated that the water comes from a depth of more than 750 m, with a yield of 91,000 l/h. Unfortunately, the pool is 700 m from the car park, down a steep trail into the valley, and the strenuous way back is a real drawback.