Colong Caves

The approach begins at Batsh campground, off the Oberon–Colong stock route. A caving party reported about 90 minutes to a small camp below Arch Cave, descending steep Acetylene Spur to Lannigans Creek and then climbing along Caves Creek. Treat that as an older party’s rough timing, not a promise; the route is remote and rugged. The stock route is unsealed, and the Southern Blue Mountains area has no food, fuel or water. Carry supplies for the whole trip, plus spare tyres and recovery gear. Use the Oberon or Goulburn approach; access through Burragorang Valley is restricted.

Inside, the system links named chambers and passages including Piano Cave, Onslow Cave, Kings Cross Chamber, High Passage, Terraces Cave, Amber Cave and Woofs Cavern. The route described by cavers includes narrow squeezes, crawling and tricky passages, with wrong turns and backtracking possible. This is a trip for a competent party that can navigate underground, not a place to explore alone or without the required permit and gear.

Colong is a branching limestone system with delicate shawl formations in Piano Cave. A 1984 account described its main cave as the longest and most complex single cave in NSW and the country’s third longest; later surveying found it more extensive than earlier maps suggested. Leave every formation untouched and carry out everything you bring in.