DESCRIPTION
The town lies in the Margaret River area 286 kilometres south of Perth.
This area contains a large number of caves, many of which used to be reasonably accessible and open to the public, but with the advent of the 'nanny state' that seeks
to prevent us from doing anything remotely dangerous, most are now blocked off.
Some of the best known caves in the area include:
Arumvale Pipe and Arumvale: Found near the Boranup campsite, this pair are for experienced cavers only. Proper abseiling gear and rope ladders plus all the normal
caving gear are needed.
Blackboy Hollow: Located 2 kilometres from Boodjidup Brook this cave is locked. A permit for entry has to be obtained from CALM.
Beenup: Located on the hill above Prevelly Park Caravan Park. Easy access.
Bride's Cave: A huge gaping open pit in the forest means you need a good head for heights to get down into this cave. Permit required for entry. A rather scary looking
wire ladder hangs down over one edge of the pit.
Dingo Cave: Dingoes, as it is usually called, is a pipe leading down to a larger chamber and some tight crawls. It requires ropes to get down. It isn't as impressive as some
of the larger caves but is one of the easier 'climb down' caves to reach for those just starting out in the field of spelunking.
Green Cave: This is a large cave not far from Boranup campsite. Permit required for entry
Milligan's Cave: Permit required for entry.
Strong's Cave: For experienced cavers. Permit required for entry.
Witchcliffe Cave: Located near Walcliffe house. Badly vandalised over the years.
Other caves: Labyrinth, Christmas Star, Terry, Winjan's, Boya Booka and hundreds more are located all round the Margaret River region.
There are also the well known tourist caves such as Giants, Moondyne, Mammoth, Lake, Jewel etc.
Contact CALM / DPaW at Margaret River for more information on the caves in this region..(09) 9757 2422
HISTORY
The town started its development as a railway siding in 1924. It was at first called Newarlingup. This was changed to Narawary but a post office that pre-dated the siding had
been built and called Witchcliffe.
The siding was re-named in 1925 and the town gazetted a year later. The name may originate from the Bussell family whose homestead 'Wallcliffe' that dates back to the 1850s.
The Bussell's house survived until a major bushfire in 2011 when it was destroyed.
Like so many other towns in the south west, Witchcliffe developed as a direct result of the Group settlement Scheme. Like Karridale further south,
Witchcliffe was originally the site of a timber mill operated by the Adelaide Timber Company and WA Jarrah Forest Ltd. John Tonkin (later to become State Premier) was the
first teacher at the local school.
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OTHER INFORMATION
ATTRACTIONS
Vineyards, Caves, Surfing Beaches, Boranup Drive Lookout, Old Settlement Museum, Berry Farm, Cheese Factory,
Conto Campsite, Sues Bridge Campsite.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE
Ellenbrook.
ELECTORAL ZONES
State : Vasse
Federal : Forrest
OTHER INFO.
Postcode : 6285
Local Government : Shire of Augusta / Margaret River
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