Bungonia Caves are a series of caves near the city of Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. [1]
The caves are sited within the Bungonia State Conservation Area adjoining the Morton National Park, about 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Goulburn and about 125 kilometres (78 mi) south-west of Sydney.[ citation needed ]
The caves are formed in limestone at the southern extremity of the Sydney basin, a broad expanse of New South Wales between this point, the city of Newcastle in the north, the town of Lithgow to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east.[ citation needed ]
The caves are precipitous in many places and entry is limited. The presence of "Foul air", dangerous levels of CO2 or O2, is common in the Bungonia caves, especially in summer and in The Grill Cave in particular.[ citation needed ]
One of the more well-known caves, The Drum Cave, is an important bat breeding site. The Large Bent-wing Bat (formerly known as the Common Bent-wing Bat), is listed as Vulnerable under the Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) in New South Wales. Drum Cave is closed annually from 1 November through to 1 April in order to provide a safe environment for the bats during their breeding season, but is open and available to the public for the remainder of each year. The importance of Drum Cave for the preservation of the Large Bent-wing Bat is underscored by the fact that the next closest suitable breeding cave is located near Wee Jasper. Grill Cave is also normally closed for the month of December as a bat staging cave. Chalk Cave is closed 1 May to 30 September for bat hibernation over winter; entry to these caves during these periods carries a fine.[ citation needed ]
Many fossils can be found along the various walking tracks in the vicinity of the caves. There are also colour-coded bushwalks through the area.[ citation needed ]
There are over 190 caves at Bungonia, though some of these are not much more than small holes in the ground. They include:[ citation needed ]
Naracoorte Caves National Park is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia (Australia). It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with Riversleigh. The park preserves 6 km2 of remnant vegetation, with 26 caves contained within the 3.05 km2 World Heritage Area. Out of the 28 known caves in the park, only four are open to the public. Other caves are kept away from the public eye as they are important for scientific research and also for the protection of the caves and their contents. Many of the caves contain spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.
Bents Basin is a protected nature reserve and state park near Wallacia, New South Wales, Australia in the Sydney metropolitan area. The lake basin, which formed at the efflux of the Nepean River from the Hawkesbury Sandstone gorge, is a popular swimming hole with a camping area and an education centre used by local school groups. Also featuring a large woodland area and native wildlife, the reserve is the only picnic area along the Nepean River and it is one of the most popular water-based picnic parks in Greater Western Sydney.
The Jenolan Caves are limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains, in Jenolan, Oberon Council, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The caves and 3,083-hectare (7,620-acre) reserve are situated approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi) west of Sydney, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Oberon and 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Katoomba.
Trunkey Creek is a village located in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia in Bathurst Regional Council. It is about 55 kilometres (34 mi) south of the city of Bathurst and about 130 kilometres (81 mi) north of the city of Goulburn on the Bathurst Goulburn Road. At the 2016 census, Trunkey Creek had a population of 120 people, almost unchanged from the figure of 122 people ten years earlier in the 2006 census.
The Palerang Council was a local government area located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. On 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced dissolution of the Palerang Council with immediate effect. Together with Queanbeyan City the combined council areas were merged to establish the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. Both councils had opposed the amalgamation. Elections for the new Council area were held in September 2017. The former mayor of Queanbeyan City Council was appointed by the New South Wales Government as administrator until that date.
The Abercrombie Caves, contained within the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, are a series of limestone arch caves that are located in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The caves are renowned for their karst qualities, namely the formation that has been eroded by water action that has developed from a sinkhole to become a blind valley. Several good examples of crayback formations exist in both entrances.
Chilmark Quarries is a 9.65 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in the ravine south of the village of Chilmark in Wiltshire, England.
Wombeyan Caves Road is a New South Wales country road linking Mittagong near Hume Highway in the east to Goulburn-Oberon Road at the locality of Richlands in the west.
The chocolate wattled bat, species Chalinolobus morio, is a bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found only in Australia, including the island Tasmania, and widespread in southern regions. It is known to reside from sea level to at least 1,570 metres (5,150 ft) in Victoria.
The common bent-wing bat, also known as the Schreibers's long-fingered bat or Schreibers's bat, is a species of insectivorous bat. They appear to have dispersed from a subtropical origin and distributed throughout the southern Palearctic, Ethiopic, Oriental, and Australian regions. In Europe, it is present in the southern half on the continent from Iberia to the Caucasus, with the largest populations found in the warmer Mediterranean area. The common and scientific names honor Carl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers.
The Bungonia State Recreation Area (SRA) is a nature reserve near the city of Goulburn, New South Wales Australia.
The Borenore Caves, contained within the Borenore Karst Conservation Reserve, are a series of limestone caves that are located in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The caves are renowned for their karst qualities, namely the numerous fossils from a long-lived reef complex from the Silurian period. Fossils include corals, crinoids, brachiopods, gastropods, pentamerids, colonial tryplasmids and trilobites. Borenore's karst is surrounded by igneous rock that flowed from volcanic eruptions at nearby Mount Canobolas.
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Goulburn Mulwaree Council is a local government area located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Hume Highway and the Southern Highlands railway line. The estimated resident population of the area stood at 29,609 on 2016 census.
The Cliefden Caves ia heritage-listed geoheritage site in Mandurama, Cowra Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The caves comprises Ordovician fossil localities, limestone caves, a spring and tufa dams, and a site where limestone was first discovered in inland Australia.
The southern bent-wing bat is one of two subspecies of the Australasian bent-wing bat. Its population size has declined rapidly since the 1950s, and it is classified as critically endangered by the Australian government.
Christ Church Anglican Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at King Street, Bungonia, Goulburn Mulwaree Council, New South Wales, Australia. The current church was designed by William Kemp and built from 1877. The church is administered by St Nicholas Anglican Church, North Goulburn. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 1 October 1999.
Bungonia National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Australian state of New South Wales, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of the city of Goulburn and 122 km (76 mi) south-west of Sydney. The approximately 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi) park borders the Bungonia State Conservation Area to the South, Morton National Park to the East, and Bungonia Creek to the North. Only a relatively recent addition to the national parks registry, Bungonia was originally protected as a water reserve to prevent contamination of the Shoalhaven River in the mid-late 19th century.