Be transported to the fantastic Capricorn Caves

About 30 minutes out of Rockhampton is a natural gem — Capricorn Caves.

Nestled in the outskirts of tiny village The Caves, this system is well worth a visit.

There are a couple of different tours to choose from when you arrive at the well-equipped kiosk, and we pick the hourly Cathedral Cave Tour.

I have done several cave tours in my time but never seen one that permits up to 50 people in a group — our group is the biggest I’ve ever been in for a cave tour, sitting at about 20 people.

Our guide is well-informed and interesting to listen to, sharing history and other titbits as well as the usual cave-specific talks.

Capricorn Caves, we learn, is partly special because it is technically above-ground for part of it and is a dry cave situated in a dry rainforest.

One of the caves in the system sits on the Tropic of Capricorn, and this entire cave lights up with hot, white sunlight each Summer Equinox as the sun lines up with the Tropic of Capricorn and shines through a small hole in the cave ceiling.

We spend some time listening to music in the aptly-named Cathedral Cave, enjoying the amazing acoustics, before our guide turns out every light to show what the first discoverer of the caves experienced.

You can’t even see the faint outline of your hand in front of your face, and the old-style candle our guide has doesn’t provide much light.

We keep going through the system, glad for modern lighting and that the bat colony’s excrement is no longer knee-high like it was in the 1800s.

Our tour finishes with the ‘Zig-Zag Passage’ — also appropriately named as the turns become so tight that we are advised to walk through sideways — and two large suspension bridge, which bring out my inner-child and that of a fellow guest in his 70s.

We are encouraged to find our sense of adventure and have fun with this section of the tour, so no-one really minds.

While bringing a light jacket or jumper with you is recommended, it doesn’t get too cold down in the caves.

There are also another two tours to choose from for the more adventurous.