New caves discovered on Kangaroo Island
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (370924)
Rockingham, Australia
December 13, 2025 7:33am CST
Back in 2019, Kangaroo Island off South Australia’s coast was devastated by bushfire. The thick vegetation became a raging inferno after a lightning strike. It burnt through almost half the island, ravaging 200,000 hectares and killing two people. Almost 90 homes were destroyed along with much wildlife habitat and thousands of livestock.
Some time after the fire, a team of speleologists went searching for caves using aerial surveys. They have since discovered 150 new caves, including one they’ve call the Phoenix. The entry to the cave is through a small opening which was not visible before the fires.
Through an eight-metre drop, they discovered a wonderland of beautiful and delicate limestone features with tunnels extending for hundreds of metres. It’s estimated to be between one and two million years old.
The photo is of bush in Western Australia.
19 people like this
18 responses
@FourWalls (82690)
• United States
13 Dec
That’s exciting, but I wish they could have found it without the fire and loss of lives and animals. 
3 people like this
@FourWalls (82690)
• United States
14 Dec
@JudyEv — have they done what we call “controlled burns”? A lot of places will deliberately set small fires (under careful supervision) to burn old vegetation off the floors of forests and areas to keep it from turning into kindling for a wildfire later in the year.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (370924)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Dec
@FourWalls Control burns are a huge bone of contention here. So many are lit in the wrong conditions and/or get away from the firefighters. We don't seem to have got it right here.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (127261)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Dec
Wow, 150 new caves! That is quite a lot. Is the island known for having caves? I was curious as to why speleologists wanted to search for caves there after the fires.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (127261)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Dec
@JudyEv Are any of those caves open or accessible to the public to visit or explore?
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@JudyEv (370924)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Dec
@moffittjc The Kelly Hill Caves have reopened since the bushfires. That seems to be the only one.
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@wolfgirl569 (129119)
• Marion, Ohio
14 Dec
@JudyEv That never bothered me so I would do it
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@GardenGerty (167574)
• United States
13 Dec
So some good even came out of the tragic fire. The Phoenix sounds beautiful and awe inspiring.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (370924)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Dec
Yes, swings and roundabouts again. They've also discovered some new spider species too. Some without eyes.
@Fishmomma (11629)
• United States
13 Dec
I enjoy exploring caves and 150 would be so interesting.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49101)
• India
13 Dec
Discovery of 150 new caves is indeed a great discovery.
Plus these have been on this planet for a long long time.
I hope that such places can be converted to tourist places.
I suppose these would become places for attracting many tourists.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (370924)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Dec
They might open one or two but I think others will be kept pristine.
@DaddyEvil (167107)
• United States
13 Dec
I wonder what made them go looking for new caves after the fires?
That's really interesting, though.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (167107)
• United States
14 Dec
@JudyEv Oh, I see. That does make sense.
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@RasmaSandra (93905)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
13 Dec
Looks like an interesting place and nice to explore.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (212948)
• United States
14 Dec
That's amazing. So sorry about the devastation from the fire.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (202500)
• United States
13 Dec
Stories like that are always interesting
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@BACONSTRIPSXXX (16939)
• Torrington, Connecticut
16 Dec
That's cool, I love seeing caves in real life
1 person likes this
