Weebubbie Cave

Weebabbj-Junnaaibil - Weebabbie Karroo


Useful Information

Location: 13 km northwest of Eucla. Nullarbor plains. In the middle of the Great Australian Bight, about 500 km west of Ceduna, 700 km east of Kalgoorlie. (31 392' S, 128 465' E)
Open: only with permission [2006]
Fee: free [2006]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: none, bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Janice Leeman, Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Tel: +61-8-9347-5047, Fax: +61-8-9347-5004. E-mail: contact
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History

1900 discovered by two employees of the South Australia Telegraph Department named Clayer and Junken.
1901 explored by John Muir, Inspector of Engineering Surveys PWD, who wrote an report with three inside photographies.
04-JAN-1924 cave was made Water Reserve #19713 and leased to JD and OD Jones for grazing purposes at 10 shillings a year.
1964 it was discovered that the cave was not in the reserve, the bounaries were modified to rectify this.
1996 a cliff collapse occured, as a result the cave was closed to the public by the Department of Land Administration (DOLA) after a rockfall.

Description

Weebubbie Cave is a huge cavern, opened by the collapse of a doline of about 40 m in diameter. The debris of the roof now forms a heap in the center of the doline and allows the descent to the niveau of the main passage. To reach this cave floor, there is a 70 m drop over steep doline walls to be managed. Ladders or abseiling equipment are needed. At the lower end a permanent wooden ladder exists, but the upper part of the ladder was removed when the cave was closed in 1996. The entrance of the cave, a huge dome around the pile of rocks from the collapse, allows access to a 200 m long passage with a reflector marked trail. From the waters edge there is another 200 m of water filled passage until the ceiling finally touches the water table. The rest of the cave is up to 50 m below the water table and thus completely water filled, exploration is done by cave divers only.

This cave is toured by local tour operators, who inflate rubber dinghies, which locally called rafts. They also provide aluminium ladders for the steep descent. The visitors can enjoy a boat ride on the extremely clear subterranean lake or take a refreshing swim.

After a roof collapse at the entrance in 1996 this cave was closed to the public. The authorities thought the cave was too dangerous. Despite there is no extraordinary danger, roof collapses are frequent in the soft chalk, caused by the extreme climate. This erosional process is going on at along cliff faces visitors should be very careful and always wear a helmet. The cave is still closed for the general public, a fact which is appreciated by cavers and conservationists. It may be visited by cavers with a special permit or on organized trips by tour operators, who obtain the permit.

Weebubbie is a registered aboriginal archaeological site. The original name is Weebabbj-Junnaaibil, which means slippered or hidden feet, or Weebabbie Karroo. The Australian natives used the cave as a flint mine. It seems there were no paintings or engravings found in the cave. The Aboriginal tribes tell the cave was the dwelling place of Jeedarra, a mighty serpent of untold length. He is said to make dust storms when he is angry.