I am leading you to an impressive place well worth visiting because of its stunning rock formations, decorative caves and its unique wildlife. There are also very informative industrial remnants, and you will take home long lasting memories of Chillagoe – Mungana Caves National Park.
You can get to Chillagoe in a conventional vehicle in a three hours drive from Cairns via Mareeba. There are only a few unsealed parts. The way via Herberton and Petford is more demanding.
Once you are there you should first drop in at the information centre “The Hub”. It is open from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 3.30 pm on weekends.
Guided tours start from the cave entrances at 9am, 11am and 1.30pm daily and have to be booked in the information centre.
Long time (some 400 million years) ago the area that is now known as Chillagoe was covered by an ocean with extensive coral reefs at its bottom. 
Within millions of years the ground moved significantly and the layers of calcareous coral sediments turned by almost 90°. This was caused by immense tensions on the surface resulting in enormous forces. The emerging limestone layer then was eventually eroded by rainwater and partially washed out building cave systems. During the still ongoing process of precipitation the raindrops come in touch with the surrounding air and dissolve some carbon dioxide partially forming very weak carbonic acid: H2O(l)+CO2(g)⇌H2CO3(aq).When this water penetrates the different layers it also runs through small cracks within the limestone (calcium carbonate). This causes a slow reaction yielding calcium hydrogen carbonate which is soluble in water: H2CO3(aq)+CaCO3(s)⇌Ca(HCO3)2(aq). When this solution gets into contact with air that is relatively dry due to ventilation and exchange with the outside of the cave the water evaporates slowly out of a hanging drop at the ceiling or fallen drop on the ground. Thus the solution becomes slightly supersaturated and at the same time calcium hydrogen carbonate turns back again to solid limestone (calcium carbonate): Ca(HCO3)2(aq)⇌CaCO3(s)+H2O(l)+CO2(g). This adheres and adds to the rock and over geological times forms columns by growing towards each other from the ceiling (stalactites) and the ground (stalagmites). Depending on the local conditions very different shapes can evolve. The observer’s imagination can see e.g. buildings or fairytale figures which turn a visit of such a cave into an awesome adventure.
The caves are home to many different species of insects, bats and birds as well as pythons. They coexist here building a food chain. There are also some bizarre karst rock formations outside in this area that invite the visitor to stroll through. The most famous one is the Balancing Rock at S17°10.294’ E144°30.853’.
In the vicinity of Chillagoe you can also find the remnants of big smelters having been in use until some decades ago for extracting valuable metals from ore found in the area. It is a very informative place well worth a visit.
Everything in the Chillagoe – Mungana Caves National Park is protected. Please leave everything as you found it. The limestone cave formations are very sensitive. Therefore it is important not to touch them. Also many of the bats roosting in the caves are endangered and in a state of torpor during winter. Any disturbance to them needlessly burns precious energy that may result in them dying before the onset of wet season insects.
A measuring tape may be useful!
- Approaching the Balancing Rock choose the left fork from the parking and look for a date marked on one of the concrete steps! Which date is it?
- What is the shortest distance between the Balancing Rock and its closest neighbouring rock?
About 1.1m or about 2.2 m or about 3.3m or about 4.4m?
- After the Donna Cave you might want to join a guided tour in the Trezkinn Cave at S17°09.913’ E144°31.002’. Once you are on the boardwalk count the wooden steps leading up to the platform right of the entrance of the Trezkinn Cave!
- Besides many species of bats there are other flying creatures navigating in the caves by the process of echolocation. Find out their name!
- The awesome white rock formations in the caves are of calcite, a chemical compound of Calcium. Find out which other metal also occurs whose compounds cause the occasional red colour!
- Now you want to explore some caves on your own. Which cave has an open ceiling so that you hardly need your torch?
- The Smelters have been in use until the beginning of the last century. Write down the chemical symbols of at least three of the metals extracted from ore!
- Take a photo of you or your party close to the Balancing Rock!
Send the photo and the answers to at least four of the above questions via email to the cache owner to obtain consent to mark this Earthcache as “found it”
Happy Hunting!.