A historic limestone karst system in central-western New South Wales, home to the largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere.
Abercrombie Caves
Abercrombie Caves are a series of limestone caves located within the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The reserve sits between Bathurst and Goulburn, near the small village of Trunkey Creek, in the rugged foothills of the Abercrombie Ranges. The caves are renowned for their karst qualities, particularly a formation that has been eroded by water action from a sinkhole into a blind valley, and for their notable crayback formations near the entrances.
The system is best known for The Archway, the largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere, along with several other substantial cave chambers such as King Solomon's Temple, Belfry Cave, Cathedral Cave, Grove Cave, and the Bushranger's Cave. The site is registered on the Register of the National Estate for its diversity of karst morphological and sedimentological features, and is managed jointly by the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The caves also carry a rich human history, from early bushranger hideouts through the colonial gold-mining era to ongoing cultural use, including the long-running Carols in the Caves performance held on a miners' dance platform built in the 1880s.
