The girls and I have been on a lot of bushwalks together – it’s a great way to escape the everyday, relax and have fun together in the great outdoors.

You don’t need any special equipment, fitness or know-how to go for a family bushwalk – just pack the essentials (which you probably already have – see our 5 essentials for a fun family bushwalk infographic here), grab the kids and go!

That’s just what I did when we were lucky enough to be invited to spend some time at Wombeyan Caves recently – and experienced an extra-special bushwalk which we want to share with you!

Read all about how to get there, where to stay and what to do in our Wombeyan Caves feature article here

Our chosen hike, the Mares Forest Creek Track, is one of the best bushwalks we’ve ever done. It has everything a great bushwalk should – plus three special reasons that set this bushwalk apart from all the others.  So without further ado, here are our top three reasons why you need to take your kids on the Wombeyan Caves Mares Forest Creek bushwalk!

1 – Native animals are everywhere at Wombeyan

Kangaroos and wallabies and lyrebirds….oh my! You are going to see so much native wildlife in and around Wombeyan you simply won’t believe it – and most of them are really quiet!

We started out on our hike fairly early in the morning – be sure to grab a free map of the walk from the Wombeyan Caves information centre before you go. The complete bushwalk is 3.2kms long, and  takes around one and a half hours return, which is the perfect amount of time for the whole family to enjoy themselves and not get too tired or worn-out.

Leaving from the Wombeyan Caves Visitors Information Centre, by now you will have already seen a lot of kangaroos – they are all around the camping and cabin areas, near the visitors centre…even as you cross the footbridge and head up the wide hillside path (which also leads to all of the Wombeyan Caves entrances – buy a ticket before you leave to see these magnificent caves).

As well as kangaroos and wallabies, there are some really wonderful views back over the valley from this hill path, and a lookout with seats part of the way up.

From the top of the hill, follow the sign to the Mares bushwalk. The track is easy to follow, clear and good underfoot. There are some ups and downs, but mostly the path is undulating with beautiful sweeping valley views.

As you approach the end of the track, the going ranges from easy to moderately steep, but with a helping hand and close supervision, school age kids can manage perfectly well.

2 – The Tinted Cave

The Tinted Cave is a beautiful family-friendly cave close to the end of the Mares Forest Creek bushwalk track. This lovely little cave is open to the public and requires no admission ticket or token to enter.

The cave has push-button timed lighting installed, hand rails or cables, and is easy to navigate. It can be handy to have your smart phone along to use as a torch for the darkest sections, but it’s really not essential.

An important note – if you see any “wild”, or unlit, caves in the Wombeyan Caves Karst Reserve area they are not open to the public – for your own safety and the cave’s preservation, please keep out!

There are some lovely, illuminated stalactite and stalagmite formations in the Tinted Cave, but perhaps it’s biggest feature is that when you emerge from the other end, it opens out onto a natural rock balcony which overlooks the Limestone Gorge (otherwise known as the Marble Canyon).

Once you catch sight of the Marble Canyon, you’re probably going to want to get down there as quickly as possible – because it is just spectacular! You’ll need to retrace your steps back through the Tinted Cave to continue on down to what has to be one of the most beautiful natural swimming spots in New South Wales.

3 – A stunning natural swimming spot

When you have finished exploring the Tinted Cave (it’s so much fun, we went back into the cave on the way back up, too!), continue on down the path to access the river and the Marble Canyon.

The trail down involves a steep-ish descent. Take care with your younger children here, as there are no hand-rails. There is a flight of concrete stairs situated at the bottom section of the trail to help you negotiate your way down and back up more easily.

Once you reach the bottom, there is a raised metal walk way running alongside the river for a short distance.

The Marble Canyon is such a beautiful place – a tumbling, bubbling river strewn with large boulders – very wide and shallow in some parts, narrow and rocky in others with crystal-clear, clean water. Soaring rock walls on either side make this a particularly spectacular bushland swimming spot – don’t forget your lilo in summer!

The kids can climb and explore to their hearts content at the Marble Canyon

The return bushwalk

When it’s time to set off back, you can either return back along the same bushwalk trail, or add a bit of variety and turn right at the sign post to hike across the valley and join up with the Junction Cave Track which runs along the other side of the valley. This effectively turns your bushwalk into a loop.

Returning via this linking trail is very scenic and doesn’t add much distance on at all, however it does involve another short but steep-ish descent/ascent through a dry river bed. Therefore, parents carrying or assisting very young children at this point may perhaps prefer to return using the same bush track they came along, as it is easier going.

Oh, and one extra reason that mum and dad are going to love – this bushwalk doesn’t cost a cent. It’s absolutely free!

The Mares Forest Creek Track is a really enjoyable bushwalk with the reward of a fun cave to explore at the end and a fantastic swimming canyon river – your family is going to love it!

Wombeyan Caves is located in rural NSW, Australia – a 3.5 hour drive from Sydney or 2.5 hour drive from Canberra. You can do this one-and-a-half hour bushwalk easily during a day trip, but I recommend you consider making a weekend of it – not just so that you can take it easy, but also because there’s so much to see and do at Wombeyan – 3 big caves to tour, 3 separate bushwalks and beautiful camping grounds or cabins to stay in (You can read more about Wombeyan Caves accommodation and activities in our feature here).

The Let’s Go Mum family were invited guests at Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve. As always, all opinions are our own.

Do you like to go bushwalking with the kids? Tell us your best spots in the comments below…

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We’ve just spent a wonderful few days at Wombeyan Caves, located in NSW. Run by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, this gorgeous little valley is truly a secret treasure for Sydney, Canberra and surrounds families to discover – it’s the perfect place to go play with the family exploring caves, bushwalking and swimming, or just kick-back and relax surrounded by beauty!

Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve

As we drove down the windy little road into the valley that is the Wombeyan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve, we were struck by its astounding beauty. Tall poplars (amazing right now, as they turn golden in autumn) and old gum trees combine with rolling green plains for a stunning effect.

Among the trees, cosy campsites are scattered about. Not only does Wombeyan feature caves and bushwalks, it also has beautiful campgrounds for tents and caravans, plus on-site cabins to stay in. All of this makes for the perfect weekend getaway from Sydney or Canberra.

Kids play, ride bikes and wander about unhindered. This is family holidaying at its best – far away from civilisation, and in its own little world of nature – plus caving and bushwalking adventures to be had!

One of the best places to see wild Kangaroos in Australia

If you’ve always wanted to see, or show your children kangaroos in the wild, this has to be one of the best locations in Australia to see them. Quiet, almost tame family mobs of kangaroos, and even wallabies, graze around the edges of the idyllic camping area. You can literally stroll right up to them and watch them at close-quarters. They are always there, rain or shine, grazing, sleeping and…well, hopping about! It’s a real treat to have these furry neighbours living right alongside of the campers!

The Wombeyan Caves

Without a doubt, the Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve is most famous for its incredible caves. The limestone and marble Wombeyan Caves system is a natural marvel, and you can walk and climb right through the three caves which are open to the public for admission price.

An important point to mention here, is that entry to any wild (unlit) caves at Wombeyan is illegal and highly dangerous without an experienced guide  – both to the trespassers and also the caves. So make sure that you buy an admission ticket, and only stick to the official caves!

It’s historically known that the outer areas of the caves (at least) were frequented by local Aborigines for thousands of years, and the caves were first European-discovered by John Oxley in 1828. In the early days, cave tours were done by candle-light!

To access any of the Wombeyan Caves, it’s a ten minute walk from the Visitor Information Centre to the top of the hill where the guided tours meet, or in the case of the Fig Tree Cave, another five minute stroll over the hill and down to the cave entrance. As you walk up, you may be lucky enough to hear the bellbirds like we did – here is a short video so that you can have a listen…

The path up the hill features spectacular views back over the valley. As with any of the high paths, it’s a good idea to closely supervision younger children as you walk up, due to the steep sides.

Native wildlife is everywhere at Wombeyan, and the path up to the top of the hill is no exception. Bell Birds call to each other in the trees. Kangaroos pop up everywhere. Lyrebirds rustle through the undergrowth. We even came across a pair of Red Necked Wallabies right next to the path. The best of it is that the wildlife is all so quiet and accepting of people – you can get quite close before they even think about moving away.

At the top of the hill is the meeting spot for the two-guided tour caves.

Three caves are currently open to the general public to view and explore, and we test-ran all three of them for you so that you can choose which cave best-suits your family.

Cave no. 1 – The Fig Tree Cave – allow about one hour – self-guided

Difficulty: Easy
Cave Ladders: 0

Especially suits: families with very young children or visitors with limited time at Wombeyan

The Fig Tree Cave is the only Wombeyan Cave which visitors explore via a self-guided tour. This means you pay admission at the Wombeyan Caves Visitors Centre first ($20 adult/$13 concession-child) and are given an access token. You then walk up and over the hill to the cave entrance, located approximately 15 minutes walk away, where you can access and explore the cave unaccompanied by a guide.

The cave entrance is an iron door with a token slot – insert your token, and pull open the door, and you’re presented with a narrow, rocky set of stairs descending into the cave!

The children were just astounded with this disappearing-into-the-side-of-a-hill act. They couldn’t believe they were actually going to walk inside a hill – just like an adventure story! It was wonderful fun to watch their reactions and excitement.

Inside this beautiful cave are several chambers containing well-lit spectacles of limestone splendour. Enormous stalactites, stalagmites and columns are all the way along.

Being a self-guided tour, there are points to stop and listen to an audio commentary. This coordinates with a clever lighting system which highlights special features – and reveals amazing spaces, such as the “Opera House Cavern”. In the Fig Tree Cave you’ll also find amazing stone formations such as the Colonnades, the Galleries and the Marble Way.

The trick of the whole adventure is getting the kids to slow-down and actually listen to the fascinating audio – we probably achieved this…well, maybe half the time!

The cave is brilliant for families with young children because it is so easy to navigate, and feels very safe. Walkways are well-lit, smooth and even, and are lined with continuous chrome-metal handrails.

The handrails also help with negotiating several short flights of rock/cement stairs, and narrow – sometimes low-hanging – rock passages. The constantly winding, climbing and descending passageway is actually a lot of fun!Eventually – perhaps 45 minutes after entering the cave – we reached the bottom to emerge inside of the magnificent Victoria Arch – a natural rock arch of astounding size and beauty. We were initially all struck speechless at its wonder!

From Victoria Arch and the cave exit, it is a mere two-minute, level walk back to the car park. The funny thing is, once you emerge from the Figtree Cave, you feel like turning around and going back in – it’s that fascinating!

Cave no. 2: The Wollondilly Cave – 1½ hour guided tour

Difficulty: Moderate
Cave Ladders: 5

A little about cave ladders and kids

Cave no. 3: The Junction Cave – 1½ hour guided tour

Difficulty: Moderate
Cave Ladders: 4

Especially suits: families with school aged children, up – visitors with more time (due to cave’s slightly farther-away location)

Bushwalking trails

The caves aren’t the only fun family activity to do together at Wombeyan – there are also several bushwalks! There are three marked walking trails radiating out from the Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve – the Waterfall Walk (4kms, 2 hours), Mares Forest Creek Walk (3.2km, 1.5 hours – includes a crystal-clear river swimming area, which is great for the summer months) and the Karst Walk (a shorter loop near the valley).

To learn more about bushwalking safely with children, see our 5 essentials for a fun family bushwalk in Australia article here

We decided on bushwalking the Mares Forest Creek Walk – and it would have to be one of the best family bushwalks in NSW, if not Australia. This picturesque bush walk took us through beautiful bushland along well-formed trails with stunning views, all the way to the fascinating Tinted Cave and the Limestone Gorge (otherwise known as the Marble Canyon). The river running through the Canyon makes an amazing natural Summer swimming spot. (You can read all about our Wombeyan Caves Mares Forest Bushwalk in our up-coming special feature).

Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve Accommodation

Wombeyan Caves Reserve is a simply beautiful place to stay, and there are several accommodation options to choose from. The perfect weekend getaway from Sydney or Canberra, staying a night or two at Wombeyan Karst Reserve is the perfect way to see the caves and do one or two bushwalks as well. Plus you’ll have some time to take it easy and just enjoy being there. Huge trees, masses of native wildlife, including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and lyrebirds to name just a few – this is a hidden paradise, unspoiled by modern times. As in all National Parks, no pets and no smoking are allowed.

The Wombeyan Caves Caravan and Cabin Park

Our two-bedroom cabin

Wombeyan Caves budget accommodation – the campground camping area

The Wombeyan Caves camping area is just a little farther down the road from the caravan park. Tent and caravan campsites are located next to a large clearing where families of kangaroos and wallabies graze day and night.

There are limited powered sites at the campground which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Whilst you don’t need to book for unpowered tent sites, you do need to book if you are bringing a caravan or camper trailer – particularly in the school holidays (see the telephone number in info at the end of this article for bookings).

There are formed campfire sites to sit around and toast your marshmallows over too, but you do need to bring your own firewood in with you.

The Camp Kitchen

Wombeyan Caves Campground is very well serviced. There is an attractive stone camp kitchen and dining room building available to all. The communal kitchen contains large ovens, cook-top stoves, kitchen sinks, a hot water urn, jug and a fridge. The large dining room next door features a large wood-fire, and provides a place to eat and relax out of the weather.

No, or limited mobile phone service – welcome to a genuine holiday getaway!

As we drove up, out of the valley, campfires were springing to life as the evening closed in, their hazy smoke snaking up into the valley sky. Kangaroos peacefully grazed in the twilight. It was a surreal scene of family camping bliss which we were very sorry to be leaving. We certainly look forward to our next visit to Wombeyan Caves.

Wombeyan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve useful info

Wombeyan Caves is an excellent New South Wales destination for a day-trip, weekend getaway or  relaxing holiday where you can escape the rat-race and get back to nature – with some fun adventurous exploring on the side. The Caves, wildlife and bushwalks will keep you and the family as busy as you want to be – or just take it easy and soak up the peacefulness and beauty of this magical location. You can choose your own family adventure!

Run by NSW National Parks, Wombeyan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve is open year-round, weather permitting (with the exception of Christmas Day for the Visitors Centre).

Accommodation booking and price information

Camping fees information
Unpowered camp sites for tents and caravans (no prior booking necessary) are from *$15 per adult or *$39 per family per night.

Cabins pricing information
Standard cabin 2-night school holidays or weekend stay: *$272 for 2 adults, *$289 per family (2 adults, children up to age 16). *$103 per extra night. Cheaper off-peak.

Caves information

Fig Tree Cave self-guided tour prices
$50 per family
or
$20 per adult
$13 per child/concession
$17 seniors

Junction Cave and Wollondilly Cave guided tours prices
$60 per family
or
$24 per adult
$19 per child/concession
$22 seniors

Wombeyan Passes for discounted multiple entries are also available.

*All prices are correct as at May 2017

For information and bookings
Wombeyan Caves Visitors Centre
Tel: +61 (02) 48 43 5976
Email: wombeyan.caves@environment.nsw.gov.au
You’ll find more information at the official NSW National Parks website here

How to get to Wombeyan Caves

Wombeyan Caves Reserve is located inland, in-between Sydney and Goulburn.

We approached Wombeyan Caves from the direction of Goulburn, NSW, taking a sealed bitumen road to just past Taralga, then turning right onto Wombeyan Caves Road. Only the last 15kms or so of the trip being dirt/gravel unsealed road. The last couple of kilometres do return to bitumen for a steep-ish, narrow descent into the valley where the caves are located. Normal 2 wheel drive cars can easily access Wombeyan Caves.

Access from Sydney also includes unsealed road, and takes around 3 and a half hours from the Sydney CBD, via the Hume Highway to Mittagong, then turning right onto the Old Hume Highway which becomes the Wombeyan Caves Road. Progress along the Wombeyan Caves Road (from the Mittagong end) is winding and slow, and at one point passes through a historic sandstone tunnel.

The Let’s Go Mum family were invited guests at Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve. As always, all opinions are our own.

Do you like to go camping with your family? Tell us in the comments below…

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