Scrubby Creek Cave - Background

Rimstone Cooperative has for 38 years owned and operated Homeleigh in Buchan as an accommodation house for its members, their friends and families. Rimstone is a Community Advancement Society with speleological aims. When the cooperative members learnt that the Scrubby Creek property was for sale the Rimstone directors decided to explore ways of buying the property; but it did not have much in the way of funds as it has continuously put any spare money into systematic renovation of Homeleigh itself. 

The cooperative needed to raise serious funds from the caving community and friends to fund this latest purchase. This was made possible by the Australian Speleological Federation’s Karst Conservation Fund which is a tax deductible fund and which agreed to make donated funds available to the cooperative for the purchase of the Scrubby Creek property.

Needless to say that a contract to purchase the property was signed and the cooperative set about raising the funds. Property settlement took place in May 2012.

All 105 acres of the Scrubby Creek Cave property will be managed to protect the caves and karst on and under the property. Cave access will be regulated to organised caving groups with special leaders. There is a need for further cave exploration and research particularly of the cave invertebrates. The tufa terraces will be protected from stock and blackberries and weeds removed.

The property will be available for stock agistment to provide income for rates, fencing and other improvements, and Rimstone will work towards a protective covenant for the property. There is also an opportunity to develop an interpreted karst walk showing the tufa terraces and the remnant rain forest vegetation along Scrubby Creek.

Purchasing the Scrubby Creek property is bringing a new and challenging dimension to Rimstone’s involvement in the local community.

Author - Nicholas White

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