There’s something about caves we find super fascinating; whether it’s the other-worldly rock formations, the sparkle of trapped gems in their walls or that they’re pieces of living art that take millions of years to form.
Luckily, we’ve got a whole bunch of them right here in New South Wales, and in weekend-able distance from Sydney, too!
8 caves to visit in New South Wales
Wollondilly Cave
Where is it? It’s about 180km from Sydney, near Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve, west of Bowral or north of Goulburn.
How to get to Wollondilly Cave: From Sydney, take the M4/M31 toward the Southern Highlands to Old Hume Highway. That’ll turn into Wombeyan Caves Road.
There’s a few caves in Wombeyan, but Wollondilly is the longest and most interesting of them. It’s made up of five main chambers and inside you’ll see stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. You can visit it on a guided tour, which we did while camping nearby. You’ll be taken through 800m of cave, but be prepared to do a bit of climbing. There’s about 400 steps, including ladders, once inside.
On a hot day though, it’s also nice and refreshing — the caves are a constant 15ºC.
✅ We’ve been there!
What to know before you go to Wollondilly Cave: Visiting the caves isn’t free. Tickets are required and costs $24 per adult, $19 per child/pensioner and $20 per senior $22 per person. You can also visit some nearby caves in the area, including Fig Tree Cave, Mulwaree Cave and Kooringa Cave. Multi-cave passes are available. It’s recommended to book them in advance, which you can do here on the NSW National Parks website.
Caves Beach
Where is it? It’s about 140km north of Sydney on the Central Coast, near Swansea.
How to get to Caves Beach: From Sydney, take the M1 north to the A43, which will take you straight to Caves Beach next to Wallarah National Park.
We stopped here for a few hours after a weekend in Newcastle and were surprised to find just how much we loved it. This spot even made the Tourism Australia list of best beaches in the country for 2025.
A beautiful beach with or without the caves, this spot on the Central Coast was just perfect on a warm and sunny summer’s day. But, back to the caves. If you’re facing the water, you’ll find a few small caves to the right side of the beach. Some of them are more nooks made from rocks, while others are large enough to walk into and explore.
✅ We’ve been there!
What to know before you go to Caves Beach: The beach and caves are completely free to visit, but you should only go inside them at low tide.
Red Hands Cave
Where is it? About 75km west of Sydney in the lower Blue Mountains.
How to get to Red Hands Caves: Take the M4 and then Great Western Highway west from the city to Glenbrook, then follow Ross Street to Burritt Parade, which turns into Bruce Road, which will turn into The Oaks Trail. You can either park at Red Hands Cave Car Park or the alternative car park and do a bushwalk to the cave.
One of the best places to see Aboriginal rock art in the area, Red Hands Cave isn’t so much one you can walk into, but one that’s significant for its cultural importance. The painting is estimated to be between 500 and 1,600 years old and depicts natural paints in earthy tones like red, yellow and white.
It also makes a great day out. in the Glenbrook section of Blue Mountains National Park, there’s a lovely bushwalk you can take to the caves and Jellybean Pool to cool off in after you work up a sweat.
✅ We’ve been there!
What to know before you go to Red Hand Caves: There’s an $8 vehicle fee to enter this part of Blue Mountains National Park, make sure you pay at a kiosk to avoid getting a ticket.
Cox’s Cave
Where is it? It’s in the Blue Mountains, about 120km west of Sydney.
How to get to Cox’s Caves: The 1.8km track starts at Mount Piddington car park. Drive west on the M4 and Great Western Highway until turning left onto Mount Piddington Road, just before Mount Victoria. Then, turn left onto Sylvania Street and right onto Apex Avenue. The car park is at the end of this road.
Found on a short-but-sweet 1.8km bushwalk, Cox’s Cave is openly accessed by climbing a ladder, so it may not be for everyone. Okay, we admit, the ladder was ice-cold on our hands, slippery and a slight fear of heights got to us so we didn’t go inside. But the walk here was beautiful and we’d certainly try it again on a warmer and drier day.
There’s actually a few smaller caves and overhands along the way to check out as well, so even if you’re not comfortable making this climb, its still a walk well worth taking.
✅ We’ve been there… kind of!
What to know before you go to Cox’s Cave: It’s free to visit, but can be quite quiet. The ladder can get a bit steep and slippery, so wear sturdy shoes. Its probably not a great idea to go here alone, too, just in case you do slip. We didn’t see anyone else on our walk and there were no other cars in the parking area.
Glow Worm Tunnel in Newnes
Where is it? About 170km west of Sydney, just past Lithgow.
How to get to Newnes Glowworm Tunnel: Drive west on the M4 and Great Western Highway to Lithgow. From there, you’ll need to follow Inch Street to Atkinson Street to State Mine Gully Road, which will take you to Glowworm Tunnel Road.
Okay, technically an old tunnel, this spot very much has cave vibes. Found on a rocky cliff-face in Wollemi National Park, the historic tunnel dates back more than 100 years and was originally used for a mining railway. The pitch-black, 387-metre tunnel is now home to thousands of glow worms that make you feel like you’re looking at stars in outer space.
✅ We’ve been there!
What to know before you go to the Glow Worm Tunnel: It’s free to visit, but to get here, you will need to take a 2.7km bushwalk, but it’s well worth it.
Yarrangobilly Caves
Where is it? Inside Kosciuszko National Park, about 485km southwest of Sydney.
How to get to Yarrangobilly Caves: M5/M31 toward Canberra (but continuing past it). Around Gundagai, take Gocup Road south, which will meet up with B72/Snowy Mountains Highway. Continue along it until you meet Yarrangobilly Caves Road.
There’s a lot more to Kosciuszko than just the snowy mountains. Beneath the surface, there’s a series of five caves you can enter here, with some only open during school holidays or long weekends (such as North Glory).
- South Glory Cave: 470m long with 206 steps and several ramps
- Price: $22 per Adult, $18 per child or concession
- Jersey Cave: 185m long with 217 steps, including some steep stairs.
- Price: $26 per adult, $22 per child or concession
- Jillabenan Cave: 73m long
- Price: $26 per adult, $22 per child or concession
- North Glory Cave: 358m long with 195 steep steps
- Price: $38 per adult, $34 per child or concession
- Castle Cave: 3.6km return hike to the cave, with 144 steps inside the cave.
- Perfect: $45 per person
While in the area, you can also check out the warm Yarrangobilly Caves thermal pool, heated to 27ºC by a natural spring.
🔜 We haven’t been to Yarrangobilly Caves, but it’s on our list!
What to know before you go to the Yarrangobilly Caves: There is a fee for entering the Kosciuszko National Park, but if you’re just going to the caves it’s only $4. If you want to see more of the area, rom June long weekend to October long weekend, it’s $29 per vehicle per day. The rest of the year, it’s $17 per vehicle per day.
Abercrombie Caves (Temporarily closed)
Where is it? Inside Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, about 315km west of Sydney.
How to get to Abercrombie Caves: You can either go via the Bathurst or Goulburn. From Bathurst (via the M4/Great Western Highway) take Vale Road south, which will turn into Trunkey Road and then onto Hobbys Yards Road. From Goulburn (via the M5/M31), take Crookwell Road, which will turn into Goulburn Road, north.
Limestone arch caves and karsts crafted by years of flowing water, the Abercombie Caves system is home to the largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere, and we imagine it’s quite a site to see. Unfortunately the caves have been closed due to flood damage, but are due to re-open in mid-2026.
Once it does re-open, it’s likely the same rules will apply as they previously did; you’ll need to join a tour to go inside. There’s a few to choose from:
- Archway Cave tour
- Belfry Cave Tour
- Bushrangers Cave/King Solomon’s Temple
- Grove Cave Tour
🔜 We haven’t been to Abercrombie Caves, but it’s on our list!
What to know before you go to the Abercrombie Caves: One of the more remote sites on this list and furthest from Sydney, the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve does have a campground if you’d like to make a trip around your visit as it’s not quite day-trippable. While prices for its re-opening aren’t known yet, it was previously $24 per person for adults, $18 per person for children or pensioners.
Jenolan Caves (Temporarily closed)
Where is it? It’s about 200km west of Sydney, just past the Blue Mountains and before Lithgow.
How to get to Jenolan Caves: From Sydney, take the M4 and then Great Western Highway toward the Blue Mountains. Before descending into Lithgow, turn left onto Mckanes Falls Road, which turns into Jenolan Caves Road.
Said to be the world’s oldest caves, and certainly the most well-known cave system in New South Wales, Jenolan Caves is also one of the closest and most accessible. At the western end of the Blue Mountains, Jenolan Caves is certainly day-trippable from Sydney or makes a great excuse for an overnight stay.
There’s a series of caves you can visit here, a bunch of bushwalks and even on-site accommodation. You can make a whole weekend out of it!
- Lucas Cave
- Orient Cave
- River Cave
- Temple of Baal
- Chifley Cave
✅ We’ve been there! We went into Orient and Chifley Caves, but when it re-opens to the public we’re keen to visit some of the others
What to know before you go to Jenolan Caves: The caves here have actually been closed to the public off and on for more than five years now after a few natural disasters affected infrastructure, including washing out the main road in. There has even been talk about building a gondola for access.
