Visiting Jewel Cave with Kids

Our family has always been interested in exploring the awe and wonder of natural caves. Through these subterranean adventures, the kids have learned all about the creation of stalagmites and stalactites and even some of the secrets of climate change. We have been slowly checking off different cave networks in each state.

Upon learning that the Margaret River boasts a network of 150 limestone caves we started researching which cave we could fit into our Western Australian road trip. We chose Jewel Cave which is the largest show cave in the state.

Visiting Jewel Cave with kids is a great way to introduce them to the beauty and wonder of the natural world. With its sparkling calcite formations and underground chambers, Jewel Cave is sure to be a highlight of any family’s trip to Western Australia.

Visiting Jewel Cave with Kids

Table of Contents

The History of Jewel Cave

The Jewel Cave is located on land that the Wadandi people traditionally own.

Across the last millennium, rainwater has seeped underground and has gently sculpted the limestone of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge forming the network of caves within the Margaret River Region. The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge runs 90 kilometres long and 3 kilometres.

The existence of a small hole “Wind Hole” was evident for some time before the discovery of Jewel Cave in the late 1890’s. In 1957 the cave was rediscovered when Cliff Spackman and his team found a small opening in the ground, from which a strong draft of air was blowing.

In January 1957, Cliff descended 12 metres into the cave through a solution pipe finding himself in a spacious chamber where he encountered a soil cone another 8 meters below the ceiling. A year later he returned with Lloyd Robinson and Lex Bastian to further explore the cave, uncovering over 2 kilometres of passageways.

Cave Features

Jewel Cave is a spectacular cave to explore, boasting a plethora of cave decorations including straws, helectites, cave coral, stalgmites, pendulites and flowstone. These are created from calcite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate. The cave reaches a depth of 42 meters, with its floor situated around 24 meters above sea level.

Types of Cave Decorations

Straws – hollow, tubular stalacites with varying diameters depending onthe size of the water droplet (2 – 9 mm). Jewel Cave boasts one of the longest straw stalactites (hanging from the roof of the cave down) in Australia at around 5.43 metres in length.
Helectites – derived from the Greek word ‘helix’ meaning ‘to spiral’, helectites are cave formations that appear in unusual, twisted shapes. They appear on the caves walls, ceiling and sometimes even the ground.
Cave coral – created from mineral deposits formed from water within the cave, cave coral formations have short stalks with bulbous ends, resembling coral found in the ocean.
Stalagmite – growing from the ground upwards, stalagmites are forms from water dripping onto the floor of the cave. Watch out for ‘The Karri Forest’ in Jewel Cave
Pendulites – form when the end of a straw or stalactite is submerged in a pool of water and it becomes covered with calcite crystals.
Flowstone – occurs from water trickling down the walls or floor of a cave, depositing layers of calcite. In Jewel Cave you will be able to see ‘The Frozen Waterfall’ and ‘the Organ-pipes’ which are two spectacular flowstone examples.

Skeletons in the Cave

Several animal skeletons and footprints have been discovered in Jewel Cave. Most notable are a brush-tailed possum dates to be 400-500 years old, and a Tasmanian Tiger / Thylacene which was discovered in 1960.

In 2011, Lindsay Hatcher (cave worker) discovered Thylacine footprints in soft mud within the cave.

Is Jewel Cave Suitable for Children?

We visited with two teenagers who were happy to go down into the dark and explore. We have been in other caves where other children have found this rather scary and the family have needed to stop the tour and head out, You know your children and will be able to gauge whether this cave is for you.

Jewel Cave descends downwards for around 40 metres. A moderate level of fitness will be required as you transverse via ladders and in some sections, need to bend down very low to get under some of the structures. You will not be able to use a pram here. You also need to make sure your children do not touch any of the natural structures as the oil in our hands can cause degradation.

There are no toilet facilities underground and you’ll need to plan at least an hour for your tour, so go before and after your descent down. You are unable to take food and drink (other than water) down into Jewel Cave as well, so eat beforehand.

We’ve been taking our children into caves since they were toddlers and they have always found them fascinating, so I suggest giving it a go and seeing how your family fares.

Where is Jewel Cave Located?

Jewel Cave is located on Caves Road, Deepdene, Western Australia. It is around 35 – 35 minutes south of Margaret River, or 10 minutes north of Augusta. The cave itself is situated within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and is easily accessible by car.

We based ourselves in Margaret River for this trip and travelled down early in the morning to visit Hamelin Bay to feed the stingrays before heading to the caves which were around 10 minutes away. This proved a great decision as we were able to check a number of items off our WA Bucket List before lunchtime.

What to Wear

Jewel Cave maintains a temperature of 17 degrees Celsius year-round. Bring a light jumper in summer as you may find it a little chilly.

Jewel Cave tours

Jewel Cave offers a variety of guided tours for visitors of all ages, including the popular “Standard Tour” and the “Wild Cave Tour” for more adventurous visitors.

The Standard Tour is suitable for families with kids and takes visitors through the main chamber of the cave, allowing them to see the sparkling calcite formations up close.

The Wild Cave Tour is a more strenuous tour and is not recommended for children under the age of 8.

Jewel Cave tickets

Tickets for the Jewel Cave tours can be purchased at the cave’s visitor centre. Prices for adult tickets range from $20 to $30, depending on the tour. Children under the age of 17 are eligible for discounted rates.

I highly recommend booking in advance as tours fill up quickly.

Taking photos at Jewel Cave

Taking photos at Jewel Cave is allowed, but flash photography is not permitted. This is to protect the delicate calcite formations and the cave’s inhabitants. Tripods and selfie sticks are also not allowed.