National park
Naracoorte Caves National Park
23 locals recommend
Location
Joanna, SA
Tips from locals
Naracoorte Caves National Park is South Australia's only World Heritage site. Naracoorte Caves, along with the Riversleigh fossil site in far north-west Queensland, form the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites World Heritage Area. Both sites were officially recognised in 1994 for their importance in telling the story of Australia’s unique animal heritage. At Naracoorte, the caves have acted as pitfall traps and owl roosting sites, collecting animals for at least 500,000 years. The Caves preserve the most complete fossil record we have for this period of time, spanning several ice ages, the arrival of humans in the area and the extinction of Australia’s iconic Megafauna roughly 60,000 years ago.
Naracoorte Caves National Park is South Australia's only World Heritage site. Naracoorte Caves, along with the Riversleigh fossil site in far north-west Queensland, form the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites World Heritage Area. Both sites were officially recognised in 1994 for their importance in tell…
For half a million years the caves acted as pitfall traps and predator dens. Animals would fall in through a hole in the ground and not be able to escape. Bones collected – layer upon layer, year after year – creating a rich fossil record of the ancient animals that roamed the area. The fossil record covers several ice ages!