The Victorian Speleological Association Inc. (VSA) was created in 1967 by the merger of the Victorian Cave Exploration Society (1957) and the Sub Aqua Speleological Society (1960). [1] It is a member of the Australian Speleological Federation (ASF) which is in turn part of the International Union of Speleology. The Association aims to explore and chart the extensive cave systems in Victoria (Australia) and elsewhere, represent the interests of Victorian cavers to the relevant authorities and to encourage the preservation of caves in their natural state. There are over 800 caves in Victoria, many of them on private property. In addition to its exploration, campaigning and conservation work the Association's members oversee recreational expeditions underground for the general public.
Formed in 1956, the Australian Speleological Federation Inc. (ASF) is the national body representing those interested in the protection and sustainability of Australia's cave and karst environments. It has approximately 850 members across 28 constituent bodies throughout all Australian states and territories. The ASF represents Australia within the International Union of Speleology, which is linked with UNESCO.
International Union of Speleology is a non-profit, non-governmental organization to promote interaction between academic and technical speleologists from a wide range of nationalities for the purpose of developing and coordinating international speleology in all of its scientific, technical, cultural and economic aspects.
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word cave can also refer to much smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, though strictly speaking a cave is exogene, meaning it is deeper than its opening is wide, and a rock shelter is endogene.
The VSA has been actively involved with the exploration of sinkholes and caves at Nullarbor Plain. These have proved a rich source of megafauna fossils and the Association was instrumental in the discovery and recovery of a rare Thylacoleo skeleton in 2002. [2] [3] The significance of such discoveries was great enough to warrant a special report on the ABC science show, Catalyst which aired on Australian television in 2006. [4] [5]
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, and occupies an area of about 200,000 square kilometres (77,000 sq mi). At its widest point, it stretches about 1,100 kilometres (684 mi) from east to west across the border between South Australia and Western Australia.
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are large or giant animals. The most common thresholds used are weight over 40 kilograms (90 lb) or 44 kilograms (100 lb) or over a tonne, 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb). The first of these include many species not popularly thought of as overly large, such as white-tailed deer and red kangaroo.
Thylacoleo is an extinct genus of carnivorous marsupials that lived in Australia from the late Pliocene to the late Pleistocene. Some of these "marsupial lions" were the largest mammalian predators in Australia of that time, with Thylacoleo carnifex approaching the weight of a small lion. The estimated average weight for the species ranges from 101 to 130 kg.
Currently the VSA have members engaged in a programme of exploration and surveying in the Bullita Caves in the Gregory National Park, Northern territory, which, at over 100 km, is one of the longest underground systems in the world. It has also carried out an extensive period of exploration and surveying in the famous Buchan Caves.
Bullita Cave, also known as Burkes Backyard Cave, is a cave located in Gregory National Park of the Northern Territory, Australia. It is one of the longest surveyed caves in both Australia and the world.
The Buchan Caves are a group of limestone caves that include the Royal Cave and the Fairy Cave, located south-west of Buchan, in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. They have a total length of between 3 and 4 kilometres, and six entrances.
The role of the VSA in exploration and conservation is acknowledged in the Mount Eccles National Park and Mount Napier State Plan [6] and Snowy River National Park Management Plan, [7] while their publications are cited by Australian State Government agencies in guides to various cave systems. [8]
