The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) is expecting thousands of South Australian families to travel to the south-east during the school holidays as the weather warms up.
Manager for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at DEW, Nick McIntyre said the Naracoorte and Tantanoola Caves were a major tourism drawcard for the Limestone Coast region, playing an important role in supporting the regional economy.
Mr McIntyre said the two caves had the most complete fossil record covering roughly 60,000 years.
“With campgrounds around the State quickly filling up for the school holidays, Naracoorte Caves is the perfect destination with powered and unpowered caravan sites still available,” he said.”
“More and more people are choosing to come to the Naracoorte Caves and tour the ancient fossil deposits.
“Last financial year, we set a new benchmark for visitors, recording 82,700 tickets, eclipsing the former 20 year-old record of 79,000.”
Mr McIntyre said Tantanoola Caves was also a popular and picturesque cave, with 26,000 people visiting the site last financial year, the highest number in many years.
“The surge in tourists has definitely had significant flow-on benefits, with more people staying the night, spending money in the region’s towns and supporting local businesses,” he said.
“With our COVID-safe plan and operating arrangements in place, we’ve been able to introduce additional tours to keep pace with the demand, so that as many people as possible can enjoy the unique experience.”
Mr McIntyre said the rise in visitor numbers also follows four years of upgrades to improve site amenities, including the installation of a new playground and accessible tourism experiences.
Further information on National Park sites to visit on the Limestone Coast can be accessed at this PS News link.
