| Location: |
12km south-east of Naracoorte.
|
| Open: |
All year daily 10:15, 14:15.
|
| Fee: |
Adults $10, Reduced $8, Children $6.
Combined tickets with other caves possible.
|
| Classification: |
 Karst cave
|
| Light: |
|
| Dimension: |
|
| Guided tours: |
L=420m, St=70.
|
| Bibliography: |
R.T. Wells (1975):
Reconstructing the past - excavations in Victoria Fossil Cave,
Aust. Nat. Hist. 18(6): 208-11.
R.T. Wells, K. Moriarty, D.L.G. Williams (1984):
The fossil vertebrate deposits of Victoria Fossil Cave: an introduction to the geology and fauna,
Aust. Zool. 21(4): 305-33.
Anon. (1989):
Naracoorte Caves: Pleistocene fossil vertebrate deposits of Victoria Fossil Cave,
South Australia. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Adelaide, NPWS, 1989 : 13p; illus (photos)
Based on a draft nomination for the World Heritage List in 1988, this report lists the 93
species identified, and describes the fossil bed.
Desmarchelier, J.M., Goede A., Ayliffe L.K., McCulloch M.T., and Moriarty, K. (2000):
Stable isotope record and its paleoenvironmental interpretation for a late Middle Pleistocene speleothem from Victoria Fossil Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia.
Quaternary Science Reviews 19: 763 - 774
|
| Address: |
Naracoorte Caves National Park, P.O.Box 134, Naracoorte. SA. 5271, Tel: +61-87-62-2340, Fax: +61-87-62-1231.
E-mail: 
|
| Last update: | $Date: 2007/11/19 21:30:13 $ |
| | |
| 1869 | opened to the public, perhaps South Australia's first tourist attraction. |
| 1969 | discovery of fossil remains. |
| 1988 | nominated for the World Heritage List. |
| 1994 | inscribed in the World Heritage List. |
| 18-JAN-2001 | proclaimed as a National Park by the Governor of South Australia. |
The fossils illustrate faunal change spanning several ice ages, highlighting the
impacts of both climatic change and humankind on Australia's mammals from at
least 350.000 years before the present.
They span the probable time of the arrival of humans to Australia, and this is
of value in analysing the complex relationships between humans and their
environment.
Further research is expected to document a series of snapshots of Pleistocene
life in southeast Australia, including details of climate and vegetation
associated with the fauna.
Recent geological research suggests that deposits of Pliocene and even Miocene
age could be found at the site.
Specimens representing 93 vertebrate species have been discovered, ranging in
size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials.
These include exceptionally preserved examples of the Australian Ice Age
megafauna, as well as a host of modern species such as the Tasmanian
Devil, thylacine and others.
Both sites separately provide evidence of key stages in the evolution of the
fauna of the world's most isolated continent.
The history of mammal lineages in modern Australia can be traced through these
fossil deposits, and as a consequence, there is a better understanding of the
conservation status of living mammals and their communities.
