What we loved about Yarrangobilly
At the end of a winding gravel road on the northern edge of beautiful Kosciusko National Park , a unique holiday experience waits for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle without giving up all the creature comforts. It’s the Yarrangobilly Caves precinct – a fascinating combination of beautiful historic accommodation, nature, and awe-inspiring caves which is quite unforgettable.
Where we stayed
Yarrangobilly Caves House was a surprise and a joy thanks to the $2.5 million renovations completed in 2012. It was built at the turn-of-the-century at a time when nature tourism was literally a craze. It was built in two stages. The first single-story section in 1901, and the other two-storey extension in 1917.
The former now contains the east and west wings offering a private self-contained home experience, and the latter has 11 hotel-style rooms (we stayed here) well equipped self catering modern kitchens, and charming common areas which capture the bygone era.
The house can accommodate up to 38 people but on our visit we shared the whole place with just one other couple. The building is centrally heated and warm despite very chilly overnight temperatures.
The rooms have en suites and delicious hot showers. The kitchens contained everything you needed and then some – but you will need to bring in ALL of your food. That meant planning ahead but it worked a treat.
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What we did at Yarrangobilly
Thermal Pool
The Yarrongbilly Thermal pool was one of the main reasons we travelled to this beautiful spot. A steep track leads down to the pool beside the Yarrangobilly River. The water is always a warm 27°C. Rain water seeps through the porous limestone of the valley where it is heated and then forced up through cracks to emerge as a warm spring. The heated water flows into the pool at about 100,000 litres an hour and is mildly mineralised (the overspill is returned to the river).
The pool is 20m long and up to 2.5m deep. There is a children’s wading pool, change rooms, toilets and picnic facilities. We really wanted to make an experience of our swim in the pool, so rugged up warmly to walk down there in the early morning when nobody else was silly enough to do so.
The pool was surrounded by frost which crunched under foot. Steam rose into the chilly air at the bottom of the valley where the river babbled passed. It was seriously cold to strip down to togs, but there was something magical about gliding into the warmth of the pool in the quiet valley with not a soul about and watching the sun begin to light up just the tops of the surrounding hills.
River walk
It is amazing how quickly you can dry off and scramble into warm clothing after emerging from the thermal pool into sub-zero temps. We could have taken the very steep walk back up to Caves House, but instead we chose to return by a trail that runs beside the Yarrangobilly River.
It’s very pretty in the early morning with the sun glinting and the water gurgling beside you. After a while it leads you to the towering Glory Arch and the entrance to the self guided walk called South Glory Cave. It takes about 45 minutes to wind your way up through the cave with its 206 stairs and ramps. The lighting is clear but subdued to prevent algae from growing on the glittering surfaces inside.
Eventually you come to final set of stairs and a door and emerge blinking into the sun just a stone’s throw from Caves House. There is a fee for this cave walk so we popped over to the nearby visitor’s centre (open 9-5pm daily) to pay up before returning to Caves House to cook a hearty breakfast of bacon eggs.
Guided cave tour
There are two caves open for regular guided tours – and others which are opened during school holidays or by prior arrangement. We chose a tour through the gobsmackingly beautiful Jersey Cave which is known for its rare displays of black and grey flowstone (coloured by ash from ancient bushfires) and for its forests of stalactites and stalagmites, and sparkling crystals.
The lighting is designed to bring out the incredible colour and beauty of this cave of wonders. The path winds is just 185 metres long but descends 30m. There are 217 steps and the tour takes about 90 minutes. These tours come at a cost but are well worth it. You book in over at the visitors centre and a ranger will lead the group.
Yarrangobilly Caves and Cavs House are between Tumut and Cooma on the Snowy Mountains Highway.
Read more about the caves
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