LIMESTONE CAVES OF NSW

8.   WILLI WILLI CAVES                                                             From "Helictite" magazine October 1965 Where is this place, you may well ask! Inland from the mid north coast - and not a place I have visited. Quotes are from the National Parks and Wildlife Plan of Management. " Willi Willi Caves Nature Reserve covers 8ha and is located on the Mid North Coast of NSW on the lower slope of a ridge in the upper Macleay River catchment, 35 km to the west of Kempsey. Willi Willi Caves Nature Reserve protects part of a limestone karst system. The Australian Speleological Federation (ASF 1985) lists some 37 entrances in the reserve with the Willi Willi Bat Cave being the main feature. This cave is basically one large chamber with a number of branching tunnels connected to it and is used as a maternity cave by the common bent-wing bat. " "  The entrance of this cave lies directly under the crest of a small fold about 10m across and the main chamber is

 7. CLIEFDEN CAVES WARM SPRING The Belubula River at the warm spring site After  the first crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813, Surveyor George Evans was given the responsibility of exploring the country around the site of Bathurst.  The outcrop of Cliefden Caves Limestone at the junction of Limestone Creek and the Belubula River was discovered during the explorations of George Evans on 24 May 1815 (2 years after the crossing of the Blue Mountains). Limestone was an essential material then as now, being used to make quicklime (calcium oxide) by heating it strongly and then slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) by adding water. These were required for making mortar and c ement for building. In the early days shells were collected for burning around Sydney, but the supply was always inadequate. Evans' discovery showed that limestone could be found in the newly discovered country. See also my blog on the Limekilns area near Bathurst. Surveyor General John Oxley reported soon after "