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18 - Kwinana Cave

Kwinana Cave

No doubt this cave would've been a popular spot for thousands of years, both as protection against prey (although the indigenous populations are always portrayed as a fearless mob!), the cold, storms and the like. Although located below the surface, it wouldn't seem like a smart choice in storms with heavy sets of rainfall.

 

The history of this cave is mostly likely limited and forgotten. I'm yet to take on the challenge to locate and research resources to shed light on this cave's past, which I've somewhat refrained from detailing its location, particularly as feral nutsacks of late have some grand idea of showcasing their trashy graff on the walls of nature's formations.

 

Another pin I was given a few hundred metres away in a south-east direction was for another entrance of a cave, which is nowhere to be seen. Interestingly, where it supposedly was once located, is covered in yellow (Karrakatta) sand (local to the more western parts of the Kwinana area), which predominantly stands out from the white and slightly grey (Bassendean) sand types of the area (a massive band stretching north to Belmont and east to Gosnells).

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Although typical of many public spaces, particularly where homeless people have visibly resided, there could've been a lot more rubbish left behind in the cave. Notwithstanding good people who've come along over time to pick up after them. The lack of disregard is quite common and most homeless populations I've seen, could fit into this category of disrespect. The safety of the cave as protection and a temporary place to call home is not enough to warrant respect to clean up after themselves.

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Karst Limestone

The stretch of karst limestone...

(the good limestone that forms awesome caves, unlike the nasty-ass sandstone caves that is prone to quicker erosion and collapses, such as the formation of the Gracetown cliff collapse, resulting in the deaths of nine people in 1996)

...with all its Western Australia Speleological Group protected caves, stretches all along Cockburn to Rockingham. It's potentially nothing short of mind-blowing, particularly with all the myth-like stories I've heard over the years. Everything from the lost treasure of Lima, once found in a Rockingham cave with a man who didn't have an adequate light source and was never able to re-locate the cave upon return (somewhere on Clarence Beach, which has long since been developed for industrial use). A Rockingham pub storing all their precious crockery and hotel-related valuables in a cave before permanently closing for good during the 1950s (according to local antique specialist Brad) plus many more.

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I've learnt that saying, "Yeah, nah!" to any myth-like stories is like cutting your head off with a guillotine. What do you achieve by calling a story bullshit? If you keep your mind open, anything is possible. Particularly as many rumours and myths have their root in some truth, however much it has changed over the past 100 years. Hence why I find so many things that people had no idea about nor are seemingly publicly documented anywhere (although I did not find this cave, as I was given it).

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North Metro Stretch of Limestone

In the north metropolitan area, a massive area of limestone stretches from Two Rocks to the north-east edge of Carramar. With a basic view of the map in mind, 65% is classed as a medium karst limestone risk, with the rest of it marked as high risk (p4). People have been building on the high risk areas for a long time, where risks of sinkholes occurring from water filtration (and potential environmental causes of weakening) over time is always a possibility. Thankfully this is a rare event but if people knew...

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The rest of the north metropolitan area is built on low risk limestone formations.

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Heading south on my second map, Mullaloo has a concretrated area of limestone, bits in Marmion, deep concentrated areas from Carine to Floreat and a big band from Claremont (then over the river) to Meadow Springs before my metropolitan map ends. This second map doesn't determine the risks of karst limestone sinkholes but serves to show the limestone band as well as limesand and marl (loose rock or soil consisting of clay and lime) areas.

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The French Comparison

In France, particularly in the southwest areas of Dordogne, a fallen tree serves as potential celebrations with chances of a new cave being found. Already, an extensive amount of caves with prehistoric drawings have been discovered, as well as hundreds of tunnels (although the latter likely to be sealed and not documented).

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Caves in Perth

Our limestone formations appears to be a lot deeper below the surface, the reason why most of our caves are unknown, even in Kings Park which sits some 200ft above sea level and 300ft underneath the surface (or perhaps the other way around).

 

Unless you're a speleologist, these guarded secrets that are highly protected will forever remain secrets. For the ones that are known to some, like the following photos, they get filled up with sand and limestone rocks. Although the Kwinana Cave still has a small part of the cave to check out, if you know where it is.

February 2023

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