Heritage Places
Heritage Place Details
| LOCATION |
| Map |
Show Map
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| Address |
Boandik Country, 32047 Princes Highway TANTANOOLA |
| Locality |
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| Accuracy |
H - high level confidence |
| Development Plan |
Wattle Range Council |
| Polygon Type |
P - parcel (from DCDB) |
| DESCRIPTION |
| Details (Known As) |
Tantanoola Caves Complex [Designated as a place of geological and speleological significance] |
| Registered Name |
Tantanoola Caves Complex |
| Significance |
The Tantanoola Caves Complex is located along a dolomitic karst ridge featuring the only known pink dolomite caves in South Australia. The abundance and variety of types of decorations including drapery, helictites, flowstones and wedding cake formations found in Tourist Cave and Lake Cave are impressive in their density and complexity. The Tantanoola Cave Complex including Tourist Cave, Lake Cave, Up-and-Down Rocks and 16 smaller karst features have a high potential of yielding new scientific information about the natural history of South Australia and specifically the geological and speleological development of the South East. Knowledge of the dolomite presence will also contribute to a broader understanding about the processes, likely volcanic, required to convert limestone to dolomite, and the regional impact of volcanism.
STATEMENT OF GEOLOGICAL DESIGNATION
The Tantanoola Caves Complex encompasses an extensive dolomite exposure known as the Up-And-Down-Rocks. This small area is the only substantial pink dolomite exposures within the State.
No other South Australian dolomite exposures contain substantial cave systems present within the dolomite, whereas the Up-and-Down rocks and surrounding areas contain 19 individual karst features including two major caves, the Tantanoola Tourist Cave and Lake Cave.
The catalyst for the formation of dolomite from limestone is not well understood. The caves within the Tantanoola Caves Complex present a unique opportunity to yield important information about the development of dolomite within the South-East as well as the South East's geological history. The Tantanoola Caves Complex also records marine transgressions, regressions and various uplift and volcanic events that happened throughout the previous 5 million years.
Elements of Significance:
The significant geological features contained within the complex are:
* Extensive pink dolomite exposures throughout the complex,
* various karst features, including the major cave chambers and Up-And-Down Rocks,
* evidence of geological history recorded within the fabric of the place,
* potential evidence of local volcanic activity with a high likelihood for scientific yield.
STATEMENT OF SPELEOLOGICAL DESIGNATION
The Tantanoola Caves Complex is an area containing 19 karst features on a limestone/dolomite ridge exposure. The caves present within the Conservation Park provide excellent exposures of pink dolomite, the result of an iron component linked to local volcanism. They are the only examples of pink dolomite caves in the State and provide ample opportunity for scientific research.
Lake Cave is recognised as a Special Purpose Reference Cave based on the Principles of Karst Management, demonstrating that it contains exceptional scientific value. The cave retains a high level of integrity and intactness.
Both caves are highly decorated for their size, containing varied and abundant cave formations, some of which are rare and appear in high concentration. These decorations are continuing to form and grow. Other formations contain information pertaining to previous infill events and demonstrate the rich history of the caves. The dolomite component of the caves will provide high scientific value in understanding the formation of cave decorations, the processes that alter limestone to dolomite and impacts on the surrounding landscape.
Elements of Significance:
The significant speleological features contained within the complex are:
* Numerous cave features within substantial pink dolomite rock,
* extensive speleothems including `wedding cake' column formations, draperies, helictites and flowstones,
* Lake Cave recognised as a Special Purpose Reference Cave for high likelihood to yield scientific information,
* preserved natural sediments, collapses and rockfall formations,
* fossils embedded within the cave walls and evidence of animal scratchings,
* type locality for the cave cricket Speleotettix tindalei.
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| Subject Index |
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| Class |
State |
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| STATUS |
| Status Code |
REG - Confirmed as a State Heritage Place in the SA Heritage Register |
| Status Date |
19-OCT-2023 |
| REFERENCE |
| LGA |
Wattle Range |
| State Heritage ID |
26555 |
| Heritage Number |
28154 |
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| SECTION 16 INFORMATION |
| Section 16 |
c - it may yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the State's history, including its natural history
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| PLAN PARCEL & TITLE |
| As listed in the SA Heritage Register |
| Plan Parcel & Title Information |
CR 5772/853 H420600 S213 |
Disclaimer
While due care has been taken to ensure that the SA Heritage Places Database accurately reflects the South Australian Heritage Register and listings of Local Heritage Places in Development Plans, the State of South Australia does not accept liability for the use of the SA Heritage Database for any purpose. Users should consult the Department for Environment and Water - Heritage South Australia to confirm the listing of State Heritage Places and the relevant Development Plan for Local Heritage Places/Contributory Items.
In the majority of cases, the maps of State Heritage Places on this web site show the footprints of the most significant structures on a registered Place. However, sometimes they simply indicate the complete area of land comprising the Place. Work is proceeding to further refine the mapping of such places. It is also important to note that development control is not limited to the registered structures but extends to their setting and structures nearby (what is termed ‘development affecting’ a State Heritage Place). Hence it is vital that exact details of the listed place and implications for any proposed development be discussed with Heritage South Australia staff, as they cannot be deduced solely from the information on this web site. The inclusion of a place in the SA Heritage Register gives no right of public access. Permission to visit properties must be sought from the owners. The accuracy of the mapping of State Heritage Places is not guaranteed. Please contact Heritage SA ( https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/heritage/sa-heritage-register) if you believe there is an error.
GIS files
To access downloadable GIS files, go to Data.SA.