Sunday 1 April 2012

Caving at Britannia Creek (Yarra Junction) Caves



I was excited with this trip as it was my first caving adventure. I was hoping that it was going to be a day full of crawling, squeezing through tight crevices, glowworms, and getting wet and dirty. By the end of the day I was not disappointed and look forward to coming back again.

The cave network has a number of entrances and exits, going in 15 metres so is ideal for a beginners caving experience. Britannia Creek runs through the caves so check the weather forecast first for safety.

Squeezing through a tight hole


Directions
The Yarra Junction caves, also known as Britannia Caves, are located approximately 10 minutes drive out from Yarra Junction. Yarra Junction is reached via the Warbuton Highway out from Lilydale, best reached via the Eastern Freeway. It takes about one and a quarter hour to get to Yarra Junction.

Once at Yarra Junction, drive a few hundred metres on Warburton Highway until you reach the turn off for Tarrango Road. Turn right and drive until you get to Guidehouse Road. Turn left and follow this until you get onto Britannia Creek Road. Follow this dirt track for a few hundred metres until you reach a section large enough for about 8 vehicles to park. Park here.  The caves are about 50 metres back on the right hand side of the dirt road back towards Yarra Junction. The entrances to the caves are a set of boulders.


Boulder entrance


Equipment
  • Long sleeve pants and tops (e.g. hiking pants and thick cotton shirt)
  • Runners (that you don’t mind getting wet)
  • Helmet
  • Head torch
  • String
  • Dishwashing gloves (for crawling around and to stop abrasions on your hands)
  • Knee pads (good to have)
  • Spare change of clothes , towel and shoes
  • Water to wash hands

1 comment:

  1. I heard you can camp there as well. How much does it cost?

    ReplyDelete