Lake Cave Guided Tour Margaret River

The sinkhole and sunken forest

Your Lake Cave tour begins before you even enter the cave. The entrance lies at the bottom of a huge sinkhole, formed when the roof of an older cavern collapsed into the limestone, and a long staircase winds down its walls. As you descend, the air cools and the light turns green, filtered through ferns, mosses and the crowns of karri trees growing on the sinkhole floor.

Karri are among the tallest hardwood trees in the world, with pale, smooth trunks that change colour as their bark sheds. Standing at their feet in this sunken forest, looking up at the circle of sky above, is a highlight in its own right. The staircase is long and steep, so take it slowly and enjoy the views on the way down and back up.

Inside Lake Cave: the lake and the suspended table

Inside, the cave opens into a single, beautifully preserved chamber with a permanent stream-fed lake across its floor. The water is so still that it acts as a mirror, doubling every straw, stalactite and helictite on the ceiling. Water droplets hang at the tips of the formations before falling into the lake, sending slow rings across the surface, which shows that the cave is still growing.

The best-known sight is the suspended table, a broad slab of calcite that formed on the old sediment floor and was left hanging when the floor washed away beneath it. It weighs several tonnes and is held up only by two slender columns, appearing to float above the lake. Your guide shifts the lighting from one feature to the next, so silhouettes and reflections appear one by one in the darkness.

Visiting Lake Cave: tickets, times and how to get there

Lake Cave lies on Caves Road in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, about twenty minutes' drive south of Margaret River town and roughly three and a half hours by road from Perth. There is no public transport to the cave, so most visitors come by rental car as part of a Margaret River road trip, or join a regional tour. Your Lake Cave tickets include the guided tour, which is the only way to enter.

Tours run several times a day from mid-morning to late afternoon; choose your start time in the booking panel and arrive at reception ten minutes early. The visit lasts about one hour, including the stairs. Selfie sticks and tripods are not allowed inside, and the cave is not suitable for people with mobility impairments because of the steep staircase.

Margaret River region and the karri forests

The Margaret River region, in the far south-west of Western Australia, is known for its surf beaches, coastal walks, tall forests and a band of limestone ridge riddled with hundreds of caves between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin. Only a few are open to visitors, and Lake Cave is often called the most beautiful of them thanks to its lake and delicate decoration.

Nearby, the Boranup Forest, a regrown karri forest along Caves Road, makes a short and peaceful stop for walks and photos, while Hamelin Bay and the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse lie further south. The best time to visit Lake Cave is any time of year, because the temperature inside stays cool and steady, making it a good plan for hot summer days or rainy winter afternoons.