Old Homestead Cave
Encyclopedia
Old Homestead Cave is a wild cave on the Nullarbor Plain
in Western Australia
. It was, at one point, the longest explored cave in Australia following a three week long expedition in 1990. Although it has long since lost this title it still stands at an impressive 28km long.
Originally named after a homestead that was built near its entrance. The ultimate failure of the homesteaders to find water in the cave spelt the end to the homestead but their efforts can still be seen in the cave entrance.
Access to the cave is via an enormous doline
that allows access to both Northern and Southern sections although the Northern half is substantially longer.
Unlike many of the caves on the Nullarbor Plain which can have very large chambers, Old Homestead Cave is made up of a maze of smaller passages.
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It was, at one point, the longest explored cave in Australia following a three week long expedition in 1990. Although it has long since lost this title it still stands at an impressive 28km long.
Originally named after a homestead that was built near its entrance. The ultimate failure of the homesteaders to find water in the cave spelt the end to the homestead but their efforts can still be seen in the cave entrance.
Access to the cave is via an enormous doline
Doline
Doline can refer to:* Doline , a village in the Kanjiža municipality, Serbia.* Sinkhole, a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, often both, by water....
that allows access to both Northern and Southern sections although the Northern half is substantially longer.
Unlike many of the caves on the Nullarbor Plain which can have very large chambers, Old Homestead Cave is made up of a maze of smaller passages.