the crystal caves

The shop is fantastic and the cave experience was so wonderful for my boys. The shop is full of exquisite rocks and fossils of all kinds, from the cheaper rock crystals to the expensive opal jewellery (which i love).

When planning our trip to Cairns, I wanted to choose an activity that would appeal to our 11 year old daughter - there's only so much beautiful scenery a child her age can take. This was the perfect solution! It's a self-guided adventure: you don your miners hat, turn on your headlight, enter the cave and go exploring! There's lots to see and you can touch some items and take photos! You are given an exhibit guide to borrow so you can read up on the items that interest you. We had an infant in a stroller and although a little challenging in some parts of the caves, it was manageable. Just be careful to duck as the ceiling gets low in some places. The tour cost was $55 for our family (we only spent about 45 minutes inside) but it was worth it to see the joy on our daughter's face.Afterwards, our daughter cracked a geode in the shop (lowest price $30): she was very happy with the experience. The staff members were surprisingly friendly - they made sure they greeted/farewelled us and thanked us for coming which was a nice gesture.

We thought we'd check out this main street attraction, and were pleasantly surprised. The collection in the man-made cave, entered from the back of a gem-stone and crystal shop, is very comprehensive and interesting. While it may not be everyone's "cup-of-'tea", full credit to the man who's passion has enabled us to view such an interesting collection, gathered from all over the world. If you have mobility issues you may find it challenging, or perhaps a little expensive if taking the family there, but we're certainly glad we checked it out.

Donning a hard-hat with a head torch was great fun for the kids (age 5 & 7). The children received a small bag of stones at the purchase of our entry fee (one of which was lost and the staff were more than happy to replace it). They were pretty excited, moving between Crystals at a frantic pace. There are a LOT of crystals to see in the caves. There are some really low points - hard hat proved necessary when my Mum bumped her head a couple of times. The cave is man-made but is quite well done and has plenty to see. The most impressive of course being the The Empress of Uruguay. The charge for the entry to the cave area was a bit high for a family of four and our children moved through so quickly we didn't really get a chance to linger all that long. The shop itself has PLENTY to look at and marvel over if you don't fancy spending the money going into the caves. The staff are incredibly helpful and really passionate about crystals and fossils. Pricing of crystals from around $5 upwards.

i did not agree with price $55 for family 2 adults +2 children it was interesting but not worth the money, they did offer to refund my fee but i had advised them beforehand i thought the price was unreasonable and they offered 3 adults + 2 children for the family price so was not offered money back also explaining to me that the persons personal collection was put together as they really wanted to share his passion with everyone ummm no they were charging very high prices and also selling items in their shop its a business not to do with that and purely a money makingventure and when i questioned why charge so much then was told its because itcost so much to put collection together .... i though it was a private collection that they wished to share with public so it is a money making venture dont get me wrong it was interesting but lower the prices for what you get even if you offer money back most would be too embarrassed to ask for it also be warned if you have a bad back there is a lot of areas that you are hunched over our daughter struggled as she has a sore lower back and found some of the corridors very low and caused her pain to move through them as they are made to look like a cave and areas are very low overall as i said if you have the money and interested in rocks go for it but i wouldnt pay that again

I was really impressed with this shop. Plenty to see & explore. We won a family pass for the museum and we were definitely NOT disappointed. You can really see the passion that Rene has for his work. The staff were really nice and attentative. Spent almost an hour going through the museum. The work gone into presenting everything is to be congratulated. WELL DONE!!!!!

We visited only the shop front and didn't venture down to the museum area. We thought it was a little on the expensive side and we don't have children. I can understand the kids wanting to check it out. We browsed the shop for quite some time. They have some really cool fossilized plates and some different stuff that you don't see in other shops. My partner bought me an exquisite pendant for my birthday, that had been crafted from a semi precious gems and sterling silver. So, if you are looking for something a little different and special, this is your place. I regret not buying one of the plates/serving platters with the embedded fossils.....so cool!

I have been stopping here with the kids for years and we always enjoy our little visit when we are having a day touring the Tablelands. The kids have cracked a geode a couple of times but not something we would do too often because of the $$$.

My only complaint regarding the Crystal Caves is that I was there with a strict time limit and had to rush through near the end and didn't get to appreciate it as much as I would have liked.The museum itself is pretty spectacular in its design alone - each section has been designed to appear like an actual cave and you require helmets with torches to hunt down and appreciate the pieces on display, which is such a novel and interesting way to show exhibits. The family ahead of me had children who adored peering into the corners trying to spot the missing numbers. I would say certain areas could do with a slight upgrade - the transition into the giant geode display is a little meagre considering how spectacular a sight the Empress is, but that's a small complaint. Definitely not something I expected to find in the middle of a tiny town like this, but something I recommended to everyone I met in the area.

The crystal caves are very interesting, full of beautiful crystals, topaz, amethyst, etc. not where you would expect to find it, in the middle of the high street. Maybe a bit pricey for what it us but still worth a visit

The man made caves are unique and the collection of fossils rocks geodes and crystal are very impressive….Their shop is great as will….loved it

Hi, what a shame that I did not meet you on the day that you visited The Crystal Caves museum. On our front counter, right next to the price list is our Guarantee. We recognise that not everyone is interested in what mother nature has created millions of years ago and therefor we offer a full refund if you did not totally love the experience. This is not a gimmick, René has built the cave to display his private collection because he wants to share his passion for crystals, but if you didn't appreciate that, then he is not comfortable taking your money. Its a bit like a chef offering a refund if you did not enjoy the meal he created for you... So, I am very serious in saying that I would still really like to offer you that refund. $36 was it?

My grandkids and I really enjoyed the visit to this place. We are locals,but had never been to the caves before. I cannot recommend enough for any one to visit. It is amazing. The staff are very helpful and if the owner is around he is very happy to talk with you about his adventures. Well worth a visit.

Hi Karl, Sorry to hear that you struggled with the helmets in the museum. I can only assume that they may not have been tightened properly at the back. Please bear in mind that we do offer a full refund if you did not think the museum was totally worth it. Being such an unusual setting for a mineralogical collection, it is difficult to give visitors a true impression of what they are about to embark on. The point of the man made cave is to give the feeling of discovery for the visitor and while it is a bit low in places, most of the chambers are head height. The offer of a refund stands... Ghislaine Gallo

Great collection of rocks n gems, entry to display a little pricey. However the huge amethyst is well worth the investment.