Jewel Cave Guided Tour Augusta

Jewel Cave: Western Australia's largest show cave

Jewel Cave lies in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, on Caves Road just north of Augusta, near the south-western tip of Australia where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. It is the largest cave in Western Australia open to the public, carved over a very long time by rainwater dissolving the limestone ridge that runs along this coast between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin.

The cave is visited only on guided tours, which keeps the fragile formations protected. Is Jewel Cave worth visiting? For many travellers exploring the Margaret River region it is the most impressive of the area's caves, thanks to the scale of its chambers and the delicacy of its decoration. The visit takes about one hour, so it fits easily into a day around Augusta and Cape Leeuwin.

Inside the three great chambers

The tour begins with the most dramatic moment: entering the first chamber, so large that it is hard to judge its size until you see other visitors far below. From the ceiling hang thousands of stalactites, and among them is one of the longest straw stalactites found in any tourist cave in Australia, a hollow tube of calcite, as thin as a drinking straw, that has grown drop by drop over thousands of years.

As you move deeper, the guide points out towering columns, flowing calcite curtains, helictites that twist in every direction and sparkling crystal formations that gave the cave its name. Walkways, stairs and careful lighting allow you to see everything without touching the formations. Selfie sticks and tripods are not allowed, so bring a camera you can hold steady in low light.

Fossils and the story of the thylacine

Jewel Cave also holds an important fossil record. Remains of the thylacine, better known as the Tasmanian tiger, have been found in the cave. These animals lived on the Australian mainland thousands of years ago and perished in the darkness after falling through the cave's narrow natural entrance, which acted as a trap. Today the species is extinct, which makes these finds especially valuable to scientists.

Your guide tells their story and explains what the fossils reveal about the animals that once lived in the south-west forests. It adds a fascinating layer to the visit, especially for children, and helps you imagine the landscape above the cave as it was long ago. The story connects naturally with the forest walk you can take after the tour.

The karri forest walk and practical tips

After you leave the cave you can take an optional self-guided walk through the surrounding karri forest, among some of the tallest trees in Western Australia. The path passes the cave's natural entrance, a small vertical shaft in the forest floor that is easy to miss, and it is remarkable to think that the vast chambers you have just seen lie beneath it.

Jewel Cave tickets for this tour include the one-hour guided visit; tours start several times a day from about 9:30, so check the start times in the booking panel. Meet at the reception desk inside the visitor centre a little before your tour. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Snacks and light refreshments are available at the café, and the cave keeps a cool, steady temperature all year, so a light layer is useful.