Abstract
The Nullarbor is one of Australia’s iconic natural places. It’s renowned as a vast and mostly treeless plain. But hidden beneath this ancient landscape is an immense network of caves.
These caves are part of the world’s largest contiguous limestone karst system. This karst landscape, created by water dissolving the limestone, spans some 200,000 square kilometres.
The caves are as important for their geological value and what they can teach us about Australia’s past, as they are for the unique animals they house, the fossils they hold and their beautiful and unusual cave decorations.
The Nullarbor Plain is the land of the Mirning people. Their Dreaming, associated with the Great Australian Bight, recalls oral histories of changing sea levels.
These caves are part of the world’s largest contiguous limestone karst system. This karst landscape, created by water dissolving the limestone, spans some 200,000 square kilometres.
The caves are as important for their geological value and what they can teach us about Australia’s past, as they are for the unique animals they house, the fossils they hold and their beautiful and unusual cave decorations.
The Nullarbor Plain is the land of the Mirning people. Their Dreaming, associated with the Great Australian Bight, recalls oral histories of changing sea levels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Specialist publication | The Conversation |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Oct 2023 |
Keywords
- Nullarbor Plain
- Cave systems
- Fauna
- Cultural heritage