Interested in joining – A couple of things to consider

1. Fitness & Age Caving doesn’t require high fitness necessarily, but bear in mind it is very physical, so those with limited mobility or very low fitness may struggle. All VSA participants must be caving with a guardian if under the age of 18. That said, people of all sorts of ages, shapes and sizes successfully navigate most caves – it is pretty forgiving. We aren’t macho about it, so its normally not a problem.

2. Equipment and Clothing (Gear) As a new caver you don’t need any fancy gear. The main two items are a helmet and a mounted head torch. We use rock climbing helmets which are widely available and will set you back around $100. As for the torch, there are dozens of choices – everything from cheap $15, to super bright waterproof whizz-bang lights in excess of $1,000. Basics to bear in mind are: Is it waterproof? (Some caves have water). Is it durable and tough? (It will get banged around) and is it bright? (Brighter the better!). You will also need a secondary light source, which can be a small hand held light.

Beginners typically  buy some second hand overalls from an op shop, Amazon or tradie store, and gardening knee pads from Bunnings protect your knees when crawling. Gloves are good too, the gardening variety work well. Some caves can be cool (especially the caves in Tasmania than Victoria) but thermals are often worn underneath your over suit. For footwear many wear gumboots or rubber ‘dairy’ boots. They are both waterproof and tough, have good tread and ankle support. A tough camera is a GREAT way to remember your caving adventures.

When you get more serious about your caving you will need to buy more equipment, but for a basic beginner the gear above is all you need. Simple?

Beginner Trips and Training

The VSA beginner trips regularly. These trips are often (but not always) in Buchan. All trips organised through VSA are led by an accredited Trip Leader. Buchan is a 4.5 hour drive east of Melbourne in East Gippsland. There are hundreds of caves in Buchan and the surrounds, some of which are suitable for complete beginners and ranging through to difficult longer, deeper and wet trips. Keep your eye on the calendar on this website for your next beginner trip. Homeleigh is the accommodation where we normally stay, it is very comfortable and was established by cavers for cavers, plus at a good price. We normally car pool to get to and from Buchan and trips typically run from Friday night through to Sunday afternoon. This allows us to get 2-3 different caves in for the weekend.

The caves in Victoria are not long or deep by international standards but they are very pretty. We have some world class decoration in many of our caves. We are also lucky enough to have Volcanic caves and granite boulder caves which are more rare