Caving in Margaret River

My partner and I have only gone to Margaret River for two reasons: wine tours for birthdays and surf with friends. We've never really gotten to any of the typical touristy things, including the caves.

This time, we decided to visit one!

BEFORE THE CAVE

In deciding which cave to choose, I did what anyone would do at 11pm: I Googled "Margaret River Caves" and checked out the reviews. Jewel Cave had the most reviews (3,416), then came Mammoth Cave at 2,674 reviews, Lake Cave (2,442) then Giants Cave with a mere 280 reviews.

I was supposed to read a few, but the first review for Lake Cave by a man named Ed made my decision for me. I've edited for clarity, but kept his text as close as possible to the original Google post:

"Ok let me start by saying Lake Cave is such a beautiful cave and it's wonderful that we have the privilege of visiting such a beautiful place. We're so lucky to have such a majestic place like this on our doorstep and I love visiting caves while holidaying around Margaret River with my kids, it certainly makes you appreciate just how lucky we are to live in WA.

Anyway, during our recent trip to the Southwest I went and visited Lake Cave with my kids whilst staying in Margaret River/Prevelly and so I thought I'd write a little review for anyone trying to choose which caves to go visit in the area based on my experience of the caves. The guide we had showing us through Lake Cave on our visit was really lovely and very knowledgeable about the cave, couldn't fault the tour at all. But as far as the cave experience itself.. well honestly I just thought it'd be bigger inside the cave and I was surprised to find it's actually sort of tiny compared to others I've visited previously in the area.

I've been to Ngilgi Cave in Yallingup (which is a short drive from Margaret River) on a previous trip & it was absolutely AMAZING. In comparison, Lake Cave was very pretty but it was nothing when compared to Ngilgi. and I definitely don't wish to sound ungrateful that we're able to visit such beautiful places but honestly I was kind of disappointed to find that Lake Cave was so small. Very beautiful, but small when comparing it to others I've been through and in my opinion it was just a little underwhelming.

Yes I enjoyed visiting Lake Cave but if I could only go to one cave in the area, I'd choose Ngilgi above all others in the area. So if you have time to travel to Yallingup or are staying nearby definitely check out Ngilgi if you want to see an amazing cave. But if you don't have a lot of time and can only visit one closer to Margaret River then I'd recommend visiting either Mammoth Cave or Jewel Cave over Lake Cave, but this is just my opinion of course and it's up to you which ones you'd like to see?

But both Mammoth cave and Jewel cave are both not very far from Lake Cave and are spectacular and in hindsight I should've booked to visit either of them instead of Lake Cave. This is just my opinion, but I hope this helps if you're having trouble deciding which of the caves to visit."

Now, I wasn't going to go in totally uninformed. I quickly looked up Mammoth Cave and Jewel Cave before sticking with Ed's choice -- the Ngilgi Cave -- based on location and also the fact that it's self-guided.

Ngilgi Cave in Yallingup (above)

Arriving at the Cave

Holy smokes, I'm so glad that we went with the Ngilgi Cave in Yallingup.

My first thought was 'wow, $32 each?!' but then I realized that the money probably went towards the upkeep of the cave so it was a fine amount to pay.

It did annoy me a tiiiiiny bit that for $16 you could buy a pass that didn't include the cave, because while this is great for people who just want to walk and read the signs, it made me wonder why we couldn't have gotten a solely cave pass... we walked past most of the [awesome] informative signs above ground because we were there for one thing: the cave.

My background experience with caves: zero. I have never actually been inside a cave that wasn't just a hole in a rock. I also never particularly cared for caves... dark and wet with bears hibernating inside? No thank you. 

Entering the Cave

HOLY SMOKES. Whatever you think a cave is like, think bigger. HUGE open space, I'd love to go to a cave rave. 

The cave was split into two sections, and it was incredible how large it truly was. In certain points, you can see that the emptiness continues much further and deeper than we're able to fit into.

About the Cave: 

The Ngilgi Cave is formerly known as Yallingup Cave and formally known as the Ngilgi Cave Ancient Lands Experience. It was the first ever tourist attraction in WA! 

Apparently plenty of folks had their weddings there in the past, and it felt a lil weird standing in a spot known to be where people ran off to enjoy their partners in the dark years and years ago. 

Speaking of dark, I can't imagine how it would've been back in the day, with torches rather than a total lit-up attraction. To be honest, it would be quite cool to wander around in the dark... everyone would have a different view and experience. 

I tried to enter the children's tunnel, where you crawl and pretend to cave, but I was SCARED. It was so dark and small... I guess... I guess I'm claustrophobic. 

Next time, I'd love to try the Giants Cave, although I don't think I actually would be physically able to. While Ngilgi was well-lit with a walkway, Giants Cave is one where you enter a dark cave with a helmet, headlamp, and boots. No guide. How spooky. 

Ngilgi Cave Ancient Lands Experience

Address: 76 Yallingup Caves Rd, Yallingup WA 6282

Costs as of June 2025:

• Adult (Age 17+) $32

• Senior (65+) $30

• Child (Age 4 - 16) $16

• Child (Age 0 - 3) Free