JENOLAN CAVES Jenolan Caves are a must visit for all OZZIE travellers and visitors. The claim that the Jenolan Caves are the number one cave spectacular in Australia is well founded. The Jenolan Caves are between Goulburn to the south and Lithgow to the north. Be aware the very steep decent and accent are testing drives and allow time. The caves include numerous Silurian marine fossils of great interest and the calcite formations, sometimes pure white, are of extraordinary beauty. The cave network is enormous - over 40 km of multi-level passages - still undergoing active exploration. Several kilometres of the caves have been rendered easily accessible to paying visitors and are well lit. One theory is that the name "Jenolan" is said to come from "Genowlan", the Aboriginal name for a local mountain peak. Another theory is that is derived from the name of an early settler, J. Nolan.  The caves, then known as the Fish River Caves, came under New South Wales Government control in 1866, becoming only the second area in the world reserved for the purpose of conservation and the following year Jeremiah Wilson was appointed as the first "Keeper of the Caves". Wilson not only explored the already known Elder and Lucas Caves but later discovered the Imperial, Left Imperial (now known as Chifley), Jersey and Jubilee Caves. The caves were open to tourism early, but there was little protection from visitors damaging formations until sample picking was banned in 1872. In 1884 the name Jenolan Caves was adopted, an Aboriginal name meaning 'high place' as it is named after Mount Jenolan nearby. In 1898 the current Caves House guesthouse was built, replacing the earlier wooden accommodation house built by Jeremiah Wilson, which had been destroyed in a fire. Allow a full day when visiting to get the best out this iconic location. The nearby town of Oberon is only 30 minutes aware when planning accommodation.