yourambulla caves historic reserve

Very disappointed to find that these caves are still closed as at November 11, 2014 - is this another case of inhibitive Public Liability costs?

was looking forward to a repeat visit but unfortunately the caves were closed. Not sure why but as late as last week they were still closed

Beacutiful caves with ancient drawing. Walk itself is good. love this place, you can see flowers, animals, and birds on your way.

Driving to Flinders Ranges this site is just a few km off the main road. We came in very hot weather and also had to cope with the flies. Wish we had brought hats with build-in mosquito nets. The trip to cave 1 takes 15 minutes and a steeper climb in the end via some stairs. Not the most suitable place for toddlers, but our sons at 6 and 12 really enjoyed it. Beautiful paintings and some good views. Due to the heat we did not continue to cave 2 and 3. Be sure to bring water!

We first arrived after our drive from Adelaide and decided that given it was suggested to give yourselves one hour to see all the caves we decided to visit the following morning. Although we arrived early it quickly warmed up and we had a large entourage of flies accompany us! The hike up to the first cave was a bit of a challenge but even the 5 year old managed it and we were amazed by the beautiful paintings.The 5 year old decided she was up for the hike to cave two so we continued on. This was a longer hike but worth it for the views and the paintings. A fall meant the 5 year old had had enough but a couple of us took the short hike up to cave 3. More great paintings here. The path back to the car park from here was not obvious so I back tracked past cave 2. A much longer option I was told by the the other person who found the track back directly and got back a good 20 mins before me.We saw lots of lizards and skunks but fortunately no snakes. Make sure you take plenty of water as it is thirsty work! Took us around 2 hours to do but totally worth it.

a long walk in on a hot day, should have worn a hat and taken water! Caves were brilliant to see, very special. Scaffolding was intrusive but helpful

In the heat the flies are dreadful, but the walk up from the car park to no. 1 cave rewarding. Because of the severe heat and the flies, we could not cope with the longer walk to no. 2 cave.

We walked through this signed trail last week on a 24C sunny day. The caves are UP the hillside and can be seen from the car park once you know what you are looking for. The first site (the one with the stairs leading up to it) has its viewing platform closed indefinitely, so we didn't try to take the steps to it from the "main" trail. We only looked at sites 2 and 3. Each of the sites is protected by steel mesh to prevent access or damage, but it easy to take photos through the gaps between the wires with a good zoom lens.At times the path was very hard to find, with markers quite far apart, and the trail was very challenging in places with large rocks to climb and wash-aways on steeper sections. The map at the base of the trail was quite misleading - it didn't show the trail returning to the car park without retracing steps, yet from Site 3 the walk back to the car park is not nearly as far as the walk thus far.Although it says to allow an hour for the walk, it took us about an hour and a half, so allow longer if you are not used to bushwalking over rocky areas or are only of average fitness!I would strongly recommend taking drinking water with you (but carry it so you have both hands free to catch your balance) and making sure you have sunscreen amply applied well before you set off. Although the temperature was not high, the breeze was very dehydrating and I was desperate for water when we returned to the car.The other thing that I would say is that the flies are particularly friendly in this area, even on a breezy day, so personal insect repellant would be useful. Our "OFF Tropical Strength", wasn't adequate even with the breeze, and it was a challenge to take photos with flies crawling over the camera - and hands, faces etc - each time I stopped. They were less attracted to my pale clothes than my husband's dark jeans and polo shirt (either that or they preferred his sweat!) but we had a constant supply of flies resting on his back before buzzing around our faces during our time outside the car.

On the southern edge of the Flinders Ranges lies an ancient Aboriginal site of the Adnyamathanha people. It is located on a rocky enclave in the middle of a massive plain with the ranges in the far distance, a beautiful natural place which instantly speaks to visitors why it is such a sacred place.Located 17kms from the town of Hawker off the main A1 Highway from Adelaide, the site encompasses 3 separate rock shelters & requires an approx 1 hour round trip on foot. The first site has the most impressive view of the plain & distant ranges from a high vantage point which is reached by a steep stairwell.The sites have a common theme showing the track marks of emus, kangaroos & other prey, normal features of hunter-gatherer societies. The signage suggests that the cave didn't serve as a permanent dwelling & had some sort of ceremonial purpose involving Dreamtime mythology. To modern visitors it demonstrates how abundant the wildlife was before white invasion, compared to the current bareness of the plains & the devastating effects on wildlife of commercial farming, cattle raising & tree clearing. The site has a well signed translation board which suggests the descendants of the local tribe had survived the colonization of Australia.Of particular interest is an image of what looks to be a round circle with lines radiating out which I have yet to see its type in any other indigenous rock art. The third site inside the cave has notable & multiple smooth cavities that look like someone had used for grinding things in much like an Asian grinding bowl. The age of the sites are unknown but are at least many hundreds if not thousands of years old in this natural setting.These sites are not accessible by wheel chair & will be difficult for the elderly however it would be fine for adventurous children with energy. People of average health will be fine if done at a normal pace. The track from the car park slowly ascends upwards along a marked path littered with rubble. The first site is approx 15 mins from the car park. The second & third sites are a further 20 mins away involving a slightly steeper hike but are close to one another. There are no facilities, picnic tables or toilets at this site. The best conditions to visit would probably be in the mornings to avoid sun & heat. Arkaroo Rock & its paintings are over an hour down the road toward Wilpena.

Die Felsmalereien in den Yourambulla Caves kann man erst nach einem längeren Spaziergang mit anschliessendem steilen Treppenaufstieg bestaunen. Absolut traumhaft die Aussicht von der Plattform aus. Die Kletterei lohnt. Wenn man Glück hat, kann man sogar Kängurus und Emus sowie Greifvögel beobachten. Am Besten besucht man die Caves am frühen Morgen oder im Laufe des späteren Nachmittags da ein grosser Teil des Weges ohne Schatten und daher doch sehr heiss sein kann.