Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park

Okay so here is the deal, Chillagoe-Mungana Caves is not strictly a hike, but it is one hell of a cool place to explore, it is family friendly and should 100% be on your to do list.

The Chillagoe-Mungana Caves are located just outside of Chillagoe town, which is around 212 km west of Cairns and will take you around 3 hours driving.

There are two options to explore the caves:

you can book a Ranger Guided Tour through Queensland Parks. There are three caves that can only be accessed via these tours. These are the Donna, Trezkinn and Royal Arch caves. Information on the tours is available here.
you can go on a self-guided exploration of the caves that can be accessed for free.

On this occasion we opted for the self-guided caves and explored on our own. Below is a summary of what we came across.

It is also possible to Google Maps your way around Chillagoe (relief). We recommend that you type in the exact cave you are wanting to visit, note that the Royal Cave and The Archways are located along different roads and away from the other group of Caves and Balancing Rock.

When you reach the carparks access to the caves is easy and very well signed, realistically you shouldn't get lost.

Bauhinia Cave

This cave is accessed from the Donna Cave car park. The cave is only 200 metres return from the carpark. You will need head torches for this cave as once you drop down into it, it is pitch black. The tunnel leads to what I would describe as a very dark room (hence why there are no photos from inside the cave).

For those who don't like confined spaces, the dark, or bats, maybe skip this cave. It was our least favourite cave so you really wouldn't be missing much.

Pompeii Cave

This cave is also accessed from the Donna Cave Car park. It is a short 400 metres return and is accessed if you keep walking past the Bauhinia Cave. This was one of our favourite caves to explore.

Balancing Rock

Whilst not a cave, this is a really cool rock formation worth visiting. Rumour has it that the carpark to access this walk is via Frew Street, once you pass the Chillagoe Cattle Station it is (apparently) well signed. It is located close to the Donna Cave carpark and can be Googled, if you know precisely what you are Googling - hint don't just Google "Chillagoe Caves" Google "Balancing Rock".

Unfortunately when we visited the main street of Chillagoe was closed for the Anzac Day parade and Rochelle, not being the best navigator, decided to give us directions to the car park for the Royal Cave (she fell into error by just Googling "Chillagoe Caves" not really knowing which cave she wanted to go to. We walked from the Royal Cave carpark, around 3km to the Balance Rock carpark.

Despite the moaning of some, the walk was flat and gave us the opportunity to check out Royal Cave from the outside, which was an added benefit. As there wasn't much other exercise involved in exploring the caves, I am actually glad we did this walk, it was pretty and even included a small creek crossing. Royal Cave whilst part of the Ranger Guided Tours is still worth a visit to admire the formation from the outside.

If you decided to start from the Balance Rock carpark (instead or Royal Cave) the walk is very short and arguably less rewarding.

The Archways

The Archways are located outside of Chillagoe. You will need to travel north on the Burke Development Road for around 15 km. The road is unsealed and corrguated. You will spot a green Queensland Parks sign on your right signaling where to turn off to access the cave.

When you turn off the highway, there are two carparks. The first carpark is the access for the Aboriginal Rock Art.