melville caves

As we received an email to meet for the end school break up we decided to go and spend a few hours "in the bush". Unless you are familiar with the location or already very close to it we found it difficult to find - even with our Navigation system (out of date) we were guessing most of the time whether still on the right track.Once there it was very nice, basic picnic facility but no drinking water on site. The kids loved running around and climbing on the smaller rocks as well as using them as a slide and cutting their pants open. The climb up to the actual caves was harder than expected - but the "caves" were not what I expected - it's more lots of big rocks leaning over each other and creating "shelter" areas - I took a torch but it was not needed at all.The view from the top was fantastic and overall despite the many kids playing and screaming very peaceful.Not sure whether we would go back on our own - but for another school break up when it's my son's turn - most likely yes.

We took our young family along to 'The Caves' with a couple of other families. We drove to the top carpark initially and went to explore the caves as we weren't sure how our 4 year olds' legs would cope with the climb. Being only a 150m easy walk from the carpark, it was ideal for the younger kids, this woukd also benefit the older or less active visitor. The kids (both big and small) loved exploring and finding the caves and the lookout.We enjoyed it so much that we returned the next day with a picnic lunch and walked from the bottom carpark, stopping to see the wild flowers and investgate rocks, markings, scar trees and animal excrement (the joys!) Two of the mums carried our 18+ month olds in slings/carriers and found the track quiet doable. The 3-4 year olds managed well on the way up, however after some more cave-exploring needed a piggy back down the last half of the track. A lovely spot which I would highly recommend to families. The rock formations are fantastic and the history of the bushranger, Melville, gives it an aura of mystery and intreague!

Walking up the first quite steep climb to the caves themselves, we felt as if we just needed muslin dresses and we'd be vanishing off the face of the earth a la "Picnic at Hanging Rock." It is not far away from the real Hanging Rock and just so evocative of that atmospheric movie.The caves area is fascinating (they are not real caves, more spaces under and around piled up huge boulders) but what's even better is the Long Rock Walking Track which starts from the Caves and returns to the picnic site (or vice versa, but I would suggest you look at the caves first, while your legs are strong for the quite steep climb!)This is about 8km, from memory, and winds in and out amongst the massive boulders and trees. Mostly quite level, it's a pretty easy walk although I think is graded "moderate" because of one steepish scramble.The first, higher, section has some wonderful views - we were walking on a damp, rather misty day but on a clear day they must be breath-taking.We were lucky to be walking at a time of year that the vegetation was green and beautiful, but even in summer I'd think that the presence of trees would make this walk quite cool and pleasant.

I went camping here with a group of friends in late May for 2 nights. The camping area was great. It was well looked after with plenty of tent spaces, and campfire areas. The camping area is towards the summit of the hill with a not too bad drop toilet. However down towards the base of the hill is the picnic area with flushing toilets, which are nicer. There are only untreated rainwater tanks for drinking- be prepared to boil and/or filter all your water. There is plenty of firewood available. There is an undercover area in the picnic area with fireplace and grill, which can be used to cook in if it’s raining too badly. The place seems popular for group trips as both a scout group and a high school were camping at the same time as us. The walks are all fairly short with the longest being about 3 hours. They can be a bit steep but climbing through the caves is great fun- you can take stairs or find your own way. Decent walking shoes or at least runners may be needed for some of the longer walks for grip but it isn't hard walking. Shorter walks can be done in whatever. To get to the summit you can either drive up and then walk a short bit or walk up from the base of the caves. Both options are easily doable. If you want to explore the area fully, which I recommend, a day is necessary or even longer. But a quick stop is also acceptable as the scenery can start to look the same. Take a camera as it is a great little piece of Australian bush with kangaroos, galahs, kookaburras, and supposably koalas (although we didn't see any). I would recommend these caves to anyone.

I went with a group of 12 for a day out and we spent part of the day at the caves. The drive to get there was interest to see the expanse of forest. We started to drive higher to get to the caves and there were many massive boulders strewn around it was an amazing sight. When you get to the top there is a path to the lookout. As it was a group of elderly people i took they didnt take this path nor go into the caves, but the trip was still worthwhile. There are large picnic areas and also a large camping area with showers. If you are in this area well worth a visit.