| Mammoth Cave | |
|---|---|
Interior of Mammoth Cave
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| Location | Boranup, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°03′29″S 115°01′50″E / 34.05806°S 115.03056°E / -34.05806; 115.03056 |
| Depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Length | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Discovery | 1850[1] (European) |
| Geology | Karst cave |
| Access | Self-guided audio tours |
| Registry | 6WI-38[2] |
Mammoth Cave is a large limestone cave 21 km (13 mi) south of the town of Margaret River in south-western Western Australia, and about 300 km (190 mi) south of Perth. It lies within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and is surrounded by karri and marri forest. There have been extinct animal fossils found in Mammoth Cave.
The cave is 500 m (1,600 ft) long and 30 m (98 ft) deep. It has been known from about 1850 to European settlers of the Margaret River district, but it was not explored until 1895.[1] Its first explorer, Tim Connelly, who was appointed caretaker of the cave, conducted tours by lamplight until 1904 when electric lighting was installed.
The cave has been studied for over a century.[3] It has yielded fossilsofPleistocene fauna over 35,000 years old, including those of thylacines and the giant marsupial herbivore Zygomaturus.
