Princess Margaret Rose Cave
The Princess Margaret Rose Cave is a limestone cave located in Lower Glenelg National Park in Victoria, Australia. The cave features actively growing stalactites, stalagmites and helictites. It is arguably the most decorated cave per square metre in Australia. It is named after Princess Margaret.[2]
Princess Margaret Rose Cave | |
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Location of the Princess Margaret Rose Cave in Victoria | |
Location | Lower Glenelg NP, Victoria, Australia |
Coordinates | 37°59′21″S 140°59′26″E |
Depth | 50 metres (160 ft) |
Discovery |
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Geology | TertiaryLimestone |
Show cave opened | 1941 |
Website | princessmargaretrosecave.com |
The cave was discovered in 1936 by S. McEachern, J. "Bunny" Hutchesson and the latter's son Alan. They developed the cave as a tourist attraction, with Bunny Hutchesson acting as the first permanent guide, conducting tours from 1941. The cave has been part of Lower Glenelg National Park since 1980.[2] Guided tours of the cave are conducted on most days, lasting about half an hour.
The caves are formed in poorly consolidated Tertiary limestone laid down in a shallow sea in the Oligocene and early Miocene geological epochs, between about 35 and 15 million years ago.[3][4]
References
- "History & Formations". Princess Margaret Rose Cave and Campground Complex. Princess Margaret Rose Cave. 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- "Princess Margaret Rose Cave: Special Places: Caves". Parks Victoria. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- Grimes, Ken; Mott, Kevin; White, Susan (1999). "The Gambier Karst Province". Proceedings of the 13th Australasian Conference on Cave and Karst Management: 1–7.
- Grimes, Ken G. (2006). "Syngenetic Karst in Australia: a review" (PDF). Helictite, 39(2): 27–38.