The Naracoorte Caves are located in the south-east of South Australia. The cave area is South Australia’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site. The limestone of the area was formed from coral and marine creatures 200 million years ago and again 20 million years ago when the land was below sea level. Ground water since then has dissolved and eroded some of the limestone, creating the caves. The caves are often not far below ground, and holes open up creating traps for the unwary. The pitfall features of the caves is the source of the remarkable collection of fossils. Mammals and other land creatures have fallen into open caves and been unable to escape. The fossil record has been preserved in strata formed from eroded topsoil washed and blown in. In some places, the fossil-bearing silt is up to 20 metres thick.
For more than 500,000 years giant animals roamed the Naracoorte area. Falling into well hidden pitfall caves, their fossilised skeletons were left behind, giving scientists a series of snapshots of Pleistocene life in south-east Australia, including details of climate and vegetation associated with the fauna. Specimens representing more than 100 vertebrate species have been discovered, ranging in size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials. The bones of Megafauna species such as Diprotodon, Thylacoleo carnifex (Marsupial Lion), Thylacine, Zygomaturus and Sthenurine kangaroos are found within the fossil deposits. The Naracoorte fossils also span the probable time of the arrival of humans in Australia, and this timeline is valuable in analysing the complex relationships between humans and their environment.
Research into the fossil material has revealed valuable information about the Megafauna, but one question remains unanswered, "Why did these giant marsupials disappear?”
To log this earthcache, perform the following tasks:
-Email me the colours of the plaque at the front of the creature
-Take a photo of yourself with the creature at the given coordinates. Upload the photo with your log.
-In your log identify the number of people in your group.
-In your log offer an answer to the question “What caused the extinction of the Megafauna?”
-In your log comment on what you have learned at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The park is a visitor destination in itself, with a camping ground and caravan park, dormitory accommodation for groups, picnic grounds and a licenced café. The range of visitor activities is extensive. Show cave tours are guided by professional interpreters through highly decorated caves with some tours visiting significant fossil deposits. Modern technology has been utilised to show visitors the normally inaccessible interior of Bat Cave, where thousands of bats breed each year. Other opportunities include adventure caving, a selection of specialty tours and special events.
Step through the doors of the Wonambi Fossil Centre into an ancient world where megafauna once roamed. The display in the Wonambi Fossil Centre ‘brings to life’ the megafauna fossils found in the Naracoorte Caves. The self-guided walk through the simulated forest and swampland is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all ages. The Flinders University Gallery has information panels depicting the various sciences studied at Naracoorte, and touch screen computers to answer questions you may have relating to the Wonambi Fossil Centre and the fossils of Naracoorte Caves