Margaret River caves Six caves down south, and which one is yours
Six caves are open to the public between Yallingup and Augusta, and they are not the same cave six times. One has a crawl tunnel, one has fossils, one has a lake, one has ladders. Here's how to choose, cave by cave, with the stairs counted.
- With small kids
- NgilgiCrawl tunnel inside, nature play at the end
- Self-guided
- Ngilgi, MammothGo at your own pace. Mammoth adds an audio guide
- Fully guided
- Lake, JewelAbout an hour each, and bookings are essential
- Up for ladders
- GiantsScrambles and tight squeezes, 86 m down
Before you go underground
Every cave on this list means stairs, and what goes down comes back up. Jewel has 250, Lake 325, Ngilgi 350 and Mammoth 370, and the Capes Foundation says Lake needs a reasonable level of fitness. Giants trades stairs for ladders, rock scrambles and tight squeezes.
Prams can't go into any of the four Capes Foundation caves: at Ngilgi they stay on the path above ground. At Ngilgi, Mammoth and Lake, babies ride in a front carrier, because backpack carriers aren't allowed. A front carrier also leaves your hands free for the stair rails.
Wear good walking shoes and bring a jumper. Book ahead in the school holidays, and for Lake and Jewel, book full stop: the Capes Foundation says bookings are essential. For Calgardup and Giants, check with Parks and Wildlife before you go.
Six caves, Yallingup to Augusta
North to south, from Ngilgi near Yallingup to Jewel near Augusta. Four of the six sit close together south of Margaret River, so they share one cross on the map. Scroll down and the line drives it with you.
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STOP 1
Ngilgi Cave: the one for small kids
If there's only time for one cave and there are small people in the car, make it Ngilgi. It's self-guided, so nobody has to keep up with a tour, and it goes 36 metres underground. Inside there's an optional crawl tunnel for kids, and a nature play area waits at the final stop, which gives small legs something to aim for.
The visit starts above ground on the Ancient Lands Experience, then heads down 350 steps, with rest platforms along the way. Allow about an hour and a half for the lot. Babies go in a front carrier, not a backpack one, and prams stay on the path above ground.
Guided or selfSelf-guidedTimeAbout 1.5 hours, all upKidsCrawl tunnel inside, nature play at the endAccess350 steps, rest platforms. Prams above ground onlyA short drive inland
Gabriel Chocolate makes bean-to-bar chocolate at its own factory on Harman's Mill Road in Metricup, and the cafe there does hot chocolate, a chocolate chunk cookie and gelato. Check its site before you visit.
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STOP 2
Calgardup Cave: boardwalks and a seat
South of Margaret River, the caves come thick and fast. Calgardup is the unhurried one: a 300-metre cave that splits into two wings, with boardwalks, stairs with handrails, and seats along the way for whoever needs one. It's described as suitable for all ages.
Signs on the way down tell you how the cave formed and what lives in it, some of it endangered. Back on top, a walk runs over the roof of the cave, with wildflowers in spring. Calgardup isn't one of the Capes Foundation's caves, so check with Parks and Wildlife how visits work before you go.
Guided or selfCheck with Parks and WildlifeTimeCheck with Parks and WildlifeKidsDescribed as suitable for all agesAccessBoardwalks, stairs with handrails, seatingNew makers, once a month
One short email a month: the makers we have added, what is in season, the odd gift list.
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STOP 3
Mammoth Cave: the fossil one
Mammoth Cave is for anyone who can name more extinct animals than living ones. More than 10,000 fossils have been found here, and a 50,000-year-old zygomaturus jawbone is still set in the cave wall. The megafauna died out about 46,000 years ago.
It's self-guided with an audio guide, so you set the pace, and it takes about an hour. A gently sloping boardwalk and 370 steps carry you through the chambers. Babies ride in a front carrier, and prams can't go in. When you come out, the visit carries on with a walk through Boranup Forest. Ask about the Megafauna Nightstalks, a special tour the Capes Foundation runs here.
Guided or selfSelf-guided, with an audio guideTimeAbout an hourKidsBabies in front carriers, no prams insideAccessSloping boardwalk and 370 stepsBack through Margaret River
On the main street, Margaret River Fudge Factory has a window onto its kitchen, where you can watch the fudge being mixed, poured and cut. The family has made it by hand in Margaret River since 1999. A good stop after 370 steps.
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STOP 4
Lake Cave: down through a sinkhole
Lake Cave starts with a sinkhole. You go down through it to a permanent lake, with a crystal formation called the suspended table hanging above the water. It's billed as the region's most actively dripping cave, so the tour comes with a soundtrack.
This one is fully guided, for about an hour, and it's 325 stairs down and back up. The Capes Foundation says you'll need a reasonable level of fitness. After the tour you climb back out at your own pace, with places to stop and catch your breath. Babies go in a front carrier, and the cave isn't suitable for wheelchairs or prams, though the ticket area and shop are accessible.
Guided or selfFully guidedTimeAbout an hourKidsBabies in front carriers onlyAccess325 stairs. No wheelchairs or prams in the caveBack in town
Vasse Virgin has a store on the main street in Margaret River, with olive oil soap, skincare and a pantry range built on its own extra virgin olive oil. A handy stop for gifts on the way back.
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STOP 5
Giants Cave: ladders, not handrails
Giants Cave asks more of you. A marked trail leads 86 metres down, and it includes vertical ladders, rock scrambles and tight squeezes, with chambers big enough to explain the name. Look out for old tree roots crusted with calcite on the way.
It's more than half a kilometre of cave floor and boardwalk, takes roughly an hour, and finishes with a walk back through karri forest. Minimum ages, footwear and what's provided on the day are all questions for Parks and Wildlife, so check with them before you go.
Guided or selfCheck with Parks and WildlifeTimeRoughly an hourKidsCheck the ages with Parks and WildlifeAccessLadders, scrambles and tight squeezesIf ladders aren't your thing
Lake Cave swaps the ladders for stairs and a guide, for about an hour.
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STOP 6
Jewel Cave: the biggest, near Augusta
Save the biggest for last. Jewel Cave, in karri forest near Augusta, is the largest show cave in Western Australia, and home to one of the longest straw stalactites in Australia.
It's a fully guided tour of about an hour, with 250 stairs and landings to pause on. Wheelchairs and prams can't go into the cave, but the ticket area, shop and cafe are accessible, and the Capes Foundation has an Access Guide. Afterwards, an optional one-kilometre Karri Walk takes you past the cave's original 'wind hole' entrance.
Guided or selfFully guidedTimeAbout an hourKidsCheck with the operatorAccess250 stairs with landings. No wheelchairs or prams in the cave
Before you go
- Book Lake Cave and Jewel Cave. The Capes Foundation says bookings are essential.
- Book Ngilgi and Mammoth ahead in the school holidays too: the Capes Foundation says its tours often sell out in peak periods.
- For Calgardup and Giants, check with Parks and Wildlife how visits work before you drive.
- Pack good walking shoes and a jumper.
- Bringing a baby? Use a front carrier. Backpack carriers aren't allowed at Ngilgi, Mammoth or Lake, and prams can't go into any of the four Capes Foundation caves.
Cave questions
Which cave is best in Margaret River?
It depends who's coming. With small kids, Ngilgi: it's self-guided, with a crawl tunnel inside and a nature play area at the end. For fossils, Mammoth, where a 50,000-year-old jawbone is still set in the cave wall. For a guide and a lake underground, Lake Cave. For the biggest, Jewel Cave, the largest show cave in Western Australia. For boardwalks, handrails and somewhere to sit, Calgardup. For ladders and tight squeezes, Giants.
Ngilgi or Mammoth Cave: which should I visit?
Both are self-guided, so you set the pace. Ngilgi, near Yallingup, goes 36 metres down, with 350 steps and rest platforms, a crawl tunnel inside for kids and a nature play area at the end. Allow about an hour and a half. Mammoth, south of Margaret River, has an audio guide, a gently sloping boardwalk and 370 steps, and more than 10,000 fossils. Allow about an hour. Small kids, Ngilgi. Fossil fans, Mammoth. At both, babies need a front carrier.
Which Margaret River caves are best for kids?
Ngilgi is a good first cave: it's self-guided, there's an optional crawl tunnel inside, and a nature play area waits at the end. Calgardup is described as suitable for all ages, with boardwalks, handrails and seats. Mammoth is the one for fossil fans. Lake and Jewel are guided tours of about an hour each, so think about how long your youngest will stand still. Giants is ladders and tight squeezes, so check the ages with Parks and Wildlife before you promise anyone. At Ngilgi, Mammoth and Lake, babies need a front carrier, because backpack carriers aren't allowed.
Are the Margaret River caves wheelchair accessible?
Not all the way in. Mammoth Cave comes closest: the Capes Foundation says wheelchairs can go into its first chamber, about 30 metres, and beyond that it's a gently sloping boardwalk and 370 steps. Lake Cave and Jewel Cave say wheelchairs can't go into the cave, though their ticket areas and shops are accessible. At Jewel the cafe is too, and the Capes Foundation has an Access Guide. At Ngilgi, the Ancient Lands Experience above ground is on an accessible path, but the cave has 350 steps. For Calgardup and Giants, check with Parks and Wildlife. If access matters, ask the operator before you drive.
How many caves are in Margaret River?
Six are open to the public in the Margaret River region: Ngilgi near Yallingup, four south of Margaret River (Calgardup, Mammoth, Lake and Giants), and Jewel near Augusta. The Capes Foundation, a not-for-profit, runs Ngilgi, Mammoth, Lake and Jewel. For Calgardup and Giants, check with Parks and Wildlife before you go.
Do you need to book the Margaret River caves?
For Lake Cave and Jewel Cave, yes: the Capes Foundation says bookings are essential. It recommends booking Ngilgi and Mammoth online too, because its tours often sell out in peak periods. For Calgardup and Giants, check with Parks and Wildlife. We don't print times or prices, so see each operator's site before you set off.
How many steps are in the Margaret River caves?
Jewel Cave has 250 stairs, Lake Cave 325, Ngilgi 350 and Mammoth 370. Every one of them goes down and comes back up. Giants swaps stairs for vertical ladders, rock scrambles and tight squeezes, and Calgardup has boardwalks, stairs with handrails and seats along the way.
Are the caves a good rainy-day plan?
Yes. Underground, the weather makes no difference. Our Margaret River itinerary keeps its caves day for the worst weather of the trip, and our rainy-day guide has more indoor ideas.