Wellington’s wonder set for educational expansion
DESCRIBING the Wellington Caves as a gem in the natural landscape, Jodie Anderson is excited about the master plan which will take the iconic area into the future.
As the Caves Coordinator, Jodie has a major role to play in upcoming development and her enthusiasm is infectious as she describes its place in history.
“It was the site of the first mammal fossil discovery in 1830 and that was international news. There was even a reference made to the caves of Wellington NSW made by Charles Darwin in his Theory of Evolution.”
Jodie explains that bones found at the site were initially thought to be those of elephants or rhinoceros, when in fact they belonged to Australian megafauna. She adds that large bones found in red clay across the world have historically been linked to the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. Jodie also points out that Wellington was once the site of an inland sea, with marine fossils providing a lasting illustration of this fact.
It’s all fascinating information which will hopefully become more widely known by both locals and visitors following implementation of the Wellington Caves Concept Master Plan, which has been instigated by Dubbo Regional Council and drafted by Jindabyne company TRC (Tourism Recreation Conservation).
The plan encourages local usage and visitor accessibility of the Caves Complex which currently includes a playground and picnic area, kiosk, interpretation centre and fossil trail together with the caves themselves.
Successful in securing NSW Government funding of $2.5M to build a new Visitor Experience Centre under the NSW Stronger Communities Fund, an additional $1.3M State funding has been allocated to ‘facility development to support growth in the education market.’
Jodie says the caves have long been a place of study: palaeontologists for fossils, geologists for rocks and hydrologists studying the water patterns, largely the relationship between the Bell River and the cave system.
In the future, there is potential for primary students, high school students and university groups for further learning.
Jodie says a planned fossil lab will offer a hands-on experience including bone boxes for youngsters to do their own excavations while the current interpretation centre will be used to house information about human history in the area.
Drawing together the past and present has its own element of enjoyment for Jodie, who is studying environmental management and has an interest in animals and conservation.
“Education - that’ll be a huge focus. It’s got all that history and it’s the most scientifically researched cave system in the country,” she said.
Other plans at the site include a virtual reality caving experience, a cave and fossil themed playground and a native tree tunnel along Caves Drive.
Of course, any future development also needs to be considerate of the fragility of the natural environment and its preservation.
“It’s evolved organically and we would be building on a cast environment,” Jodie explains.
“The caves are an amazing connection to nature.”
With the aim of becoming eco-tourism certified one day, Jodie said the master document is a 15 to 20 year plan, with the first cab off the rank being construction of the Visitor Experience Centre.
“That’s definitely a long-term goal, the master plan is a long-term goal too.
“We are lucky to have the funding to achieve these concepts.
“We have lots of big plans.”
With the conclusion of the community consultation process on September 29, Jodie said they had received a lot of positive feedback. She hopes the Caves Complex will continue to be a place loved by locals and viewed by visitors.
“People are really excited about it,” she said.
Many locals have adopted the attitude to ‘go and see it some day’, because they are fortunate to have the tourist attraction in their town backyard.
“It’s good for them to be really proud of the place and its amazing history with the funding fulfilling the potential. It’s an amazing drawcard for visitors.
“This sets us apart from a range of other alternatives.”