On the way to our trip to Lakes Entrance just before Christmas so it was a bit crowded down there being holiday season. A bit squashed in the narrow paths and not much time given to gaze at the fabulous sights caused by the years of water dripping over limestone. There are several caves to visit. I did the Fairy caves which were great with lakes and all sorts of amazing formations to look at and photograph. The guides are good but do keep you moving at a brisk pace during busy periods so no loitering. The lighting is simple and no special effects thank goodness. That is left for the natural rocks themselves.
Have done several cave tours over the years but would have to say Buchan caves is one of the most impressive. Further the park setting is very relaxing with a streanm runnning through it and lots of decidous trees. The is COLD.
Quite expensive for a couple of small cave tours, the guides were knowledgeable about the caves and the facilities were well maintained, would make a good overnight camping spot.
We chose the Royal Cave tour and were lead by an interesting guide through the underground magic of the calcite formations, learning about how the caves were formed etc. Fascinating! Well worth a visit and, also, to walk around the surrounding Reserve area, which is well kept and very attractive.
We went to the Royal Cave only as we thought with a 2 year old that would be enough, especially as we have to bend alot in the fairy cave and the little one wanted to be carried for most of the walk. The tour guide was fantastic and walked at a comfortable pace as there were quite a few young children. We got ample opportunity to stop and take pictures and got a couple of nice family ones as well. Our older child (10 yo) equally enjoyed the experience asking heaps of questions.
We did a tour into the Royal Cave and really enjoyed it! We were lucky that there was only 7 people on our tour, I can imagine it would spoil the experience a bit with a big group so I would recommend going off season if possible! The cave was amazing to see and our tour guide was extremely knowledgable. The camping grounds around the caves were also beautiful and I was love to camp there sometime. Good idea to pack a picnic to eat before or afterwards and also some walking shoes if you like as there is lots if tracks to walk around outside the caves. A must see if you're in the area!
This is a must if you are in the area. We only did the Royal Cave tour. Now kicking ourselves that we didn't have enough time for the Fairy Cave. The guide we had we had was very knowledgeable and could answer our every questions. Be prepared to be amazed at the beauty of these beautiful natured crystals. Your best option is to get there early and see everything or better still is to camp at the grounds. The scenery is relaxing and gorgeous.
Have been here in the past during a stay at Lakes Entrance and came again today with a friend who hadn't seen them.Great place to visit on a hot or cold day as the temperature in the caves doesn't fluctuate much.As mentioned in other reviews though, the guides prefer you not to take bags if you don't need them.Also, get there early enough not to miss out as some tours book out.
Spectacular limestone formations with a very informative guide who helped 20 visitors eager to capture photos have a memorable experience in the Royal Cave. We walked underground on a concrete pathway at a comfortable pace in 17C degrees ambience for about 45 minutes then stayed to enjoy the peaceful surrounding with our picnic lunch. Later in autumn it would be a glorious place to enjoy the falling autumn leaves from the deciduous trees in the park. An overnight camp here would be very inviting.
We visited the Fairy Cave with another 6 people in the group. It was a warm day so it was good to be underground. The cave was very impressive with the different types of staligtites and staligmites. The guide was very informative and the tour was done at a leisurely pace There was a lot of bending and narrow spaces but you were informed of this at the beginning. There is also the tour of the Royal Cave but we missed this because of the timing of the tours. If in this area would certainly recommend a visit.