11. COLONG CAVES

I first encountered the name "Colong Caves" at Sydney University in 1959. It was the annual Orientation Week for new students and all sorts of clubs and societies sought to attract new members. The Sydney University Speleological Society SUSS) was one of these. Although I have never been to the caves, the memory remains strong.
In those days, before the completion of the Warragamba Dam, access was via Camden and the Burragorang Valley. Since then, access has been much longer via the Oberon Stock Route to Batsh Camp near Yerranderie. This is all country of great geological interest.

Extract from "The Limestone Deposits of NSW (1986)" by Lishmund, Dawood and Langley.

"Locality No. 407 - Colong Caves Limestone Deposit
51 km southeast of Oberon; Caves Reserve 29837, Parish Colong, County Westmoreland. GR 312784, Wollongong 1:250,000 sheet.
The Colong Caves limestone deposit is a large, elongated lens which crops out over a distance of 2.3 km southwest of the Billys Creek limestone deposits and west of Mount Colong (see figure 14).
The limestone strikes 3400 M in Silurian siltstones and quartzites, and dips subvertically, rising to an average height of 150 m above the level of Lannigan's Creek. The area of outcrop is naturally divided into three sections by Lannigan's and Caves Creeks, and the central section contains the extensive Colong Caves. Here the body is characterized by high cliff faces rising to between 150 m and 210 m above the creek level.
The northern section is approximately 380 m long and the limestone here does not crop out as boldly as that in the southern two sections. South of Lannigan's Creek the limestone is overlain by marine sediments (Rose 1961). The thickness of the limestone gradually diminishes to the south, and the body probably lenses out below Mount Morrain, as there are no outcrops on the southern side of this mountain.
Reserve. The Colong Caves limestone deposit is within a Caves Reserve and is  not available for exploitation. However, the deposit contains an estimated maximum of 45 million tonnes of recoverable limestone (Griffin 1970)." 

Extract From "Speleo Handbook" 1968 Page 142

"Situated about 34 miles radius south-south-of Katoomba and about 10 miles west of Yerranderie. Silurian limestone about 5 miles long and up to 1/2 mile wide.
Caves.
1. COLONG CAVE (River Cave, Lannigan's Cave); complex extensive cave; over 600 feet of passages with intermittent stream and 'lakes'; well known sections extensively damaged but good decoration in inner reaches; discovered by Lannigan about 1880.
2. CORAL CAVE; small cave descends at 45 degrees for 100 feet; some good formation.
3. RED CAVE; little information in recent years due to doubtful locality. Entrance blocked to prevent vandalism, according to NTCUSS, 1964.
There are other caves in the area. E. Crabb of HCG reports that in 1953 W. Woof told him there were at least 10 entrances, including the three to Colong Cave."

Extract from "Limestone Deposits of NSW " 1919 by Carne and Jones.
"Situated 34 miles in a direct line WSW from Camden and 23 miles SE of Jenolan.
An extensive belt of limestone outcrops on Reserve 29,387, extending NNE from south of Lannigan's Creek, in parish Tartarus. ..... Mr O Trickett, reporting on the Colong Caves, which lie within this belt, states "the belt of limestone in which they occur lies between the Byalong Range and the Kowmung River." ......
"Caves occur at intervals throughout the whole length of the limestone." ........"the caves so far explored do not compare favourably with such caves as those of Jenolan, Yarrangobilly, or Wombeyan, although the "terraces" in Lannigan's Cave are more extensive and beautiful than any similar formation in any other cave in the colony, as far as I am aware."

Woof's Cavern.  This cavern, an inner part of the main Colong Cave, is celebrated as one of the most spectacular part of any cave discovered and explored by speleologists. Evidently discovered by Bill Woof, an early SUSS member in 1948, It is the goal of most visiting speleologists.
See account by Bill Woof of the discovery of this part of the cave.
Woof's Cavern Discovery

Colong Caves. Photo Credit: Henry Gold

Photo: UNSW Outdoors Club 2018 NSW

Two brilliant videos by David Noble.

Colong Caves by David Noble Part 1

Colong Caves by David Noble Part 2

Song Studies. Bible studies based on hymns and songs
Shoalhaven District Geology.


 

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