Your guide to accessible features at Naracoorte Caves

Your guide to accessible features at Naracoorte Caves



Your trip to the region wouldn’t be com­plete with­out vis­it­ing Nara­coorte Caves, where you can step back in time and dis­cov­er why it’s one of only 19 UNESCO World Her­itage-List­ed places across Australia.

If you need to fac­tor acces­si­bil­i­ty into your trav­els, we’ve got you cov­ered. Here are some of the top spots and tips about their acces­si­ble features.

Step back in time at the Won­am­bi Fos­sil Centre 

The Won­am­bi Fos­sil Cen­tre is the per­fect place to start your jour­ney. A large recep­tion area wel­comes you to the caves and includes inter­pre­tive pan­els and life sized mod­els of extinct mam­mals, telling the fas­ci­nat­ing sto­ry of one of the world’s most impor­tant fos­sil sites.

Per­fect for kids, the fos­sil cen­tre incor­po­rates the­atre and sci­ence to show you what Nara­coorte looked like 200,000 years ago. 

The cen­tre is wheel­chair acces­si­ble, which large clear sections. 

Your guide to accessible features at Naracoorte Caves

Stroll the Rooftop Loop Walk 

The Rooftop Loop Walk pro­vides uni­ver­sal access for peo­ple of all ages and abil­i­ties to enjoy the fas­ci­nat­ing under­ground world of Nara­coorte Caves.

The 850-metre walk is designed with view­ing plat­forms placed in strate­gic loca­tions, offer­ing a sneak peek into the caves and a chance to wit­ness bats tak­ing flight as they enter or exit their under­ground home. The path has grad­ual tran­si­tions with no steps or stairways.

The walk links the caves’ Won­am­bi Fos­sil Cen­tre with the Bat Obser­va­tion Cen­tre, Bat Cave and Blanche Cave, with plen­ty of his­to­ry and fun facts for you to learn along the way.

Your guide to accessible features at Naracoorte Caves

Grab a bite to eat 

The Caves Café is a pop­u­lar spot for Nara­coorte locals and vis­i­tors and offers a sea­son­al menu. You can enjoy a light lunch or sit down for a hot meal paired with a cof­fee or glass of wine from the local Wrat­ton­bul­ly region. 

The café is wheel­chair acces­si­ble and a sep­a­rate large size print menu is avail­able for those who are visu­al­ly impaired. 

If you’d pre­fer to bring your own food, pic­nic tables along the Rooftop Loop Walk are wheel­chair acces­si­ble, pro­vid­ing enough room to allow for manoeuvrability.

Your guide to accessible features at Naracoorte Caves

Let the kids dig for fossils

The Fos­sil Hunters Play­ground is a free nature play space, pro­vid­ing an oppor­tu­ni­ty for kids to burn off some ener­gy and engage in an enjoy­able play expe­ri­ence in a nat­ur­al setting. 

The play­ground paths are wheel­chair acces­si­ble and activ­i­ties are depen­dent on abil­i­ty lev­el, includ­ing swings and rope climbing. 

Pop­u­lar for all ages, a high­light includes the chance to dig through sand and search for fossils! 

Your guide to accessible features at Naracoorte Caves

When is the best time to visit?

Right now! The caves stay at a con­stant 17 degrees centi­grade, mak­ing them a des­ti­na­tion for all sea­sons. Dur­ing win­ter, the caves often feel warm, while in sum­mer they feel cool.

Where can I park?

A large carpark is avail­able onsite, includ­ing a num­ber of acces­si­ble parks.

Social scripts:

Social scrips are avail­able online to help peo­ple on the Autism Spec­trum vis­it parks. Social scripts may be able to assist with less­en­ing anx­i­ety and stress when vis­it­ing a new place. The scripts include spe­cif­ic and illus­trat­ed infor­ma­tion about what an autis­tic per­son can expect when vis­it­ing one of South Australia’s nation­al parks.

Park of the Month

Through­out March, Nara­coorte Caves is being cel­e­brat­ed as Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Service’s Park of the Month.

There are plen­ty of activ­i­ties on offer across the month, includ­ing a Wel­come to Bun­gan­ditj Coun­try Nature and Cul­ture Walk. Check out the web­site for all the details.

Make the most of your trip with our guide to the per­fect Nara­coorte Caves experience.


This con­tent was pro­duced in part­ner­ship with  Good Living