On my last visit to the Atherton Tablelands I went to visit The Crystal Caves, which is an incredible man-made cave inside a very large building in the main street of Atherton.
The caves were built by a man named Rene Boissevain so that he could share his collection of more than 600 crystals, rocks, gemstones, minerals and fossils with everyone. I went with my parents and my sister and we had a great time looking around because it's a very interesting and cool place to visit.
When I first got there I met a nice lady called Ghis and she told us what we could see in the caves and gave us some headtorches to wear so we would be able to see the gems well inside the caves.
Ghis also told us about the Audio guide we could listen to if we wanted to learn about the caves. Mum put in on her phone so we could hear the information while we looked around.
We also got a Guidebook that told us all the information about the crystals and rocks inside so we could go on our own self-guided tour. It had a map of the caves too so we could see where we were going.
Before I went into the caves I sat on a chair near the entrance while we waited for our turn. There was lots of photos and information on the wall to read.
Once we went into the caves there were lots of lovely gems, rocks, crystals and fossils to see and it was good to have the headtorch on because it gave a nice, bright light to shine on things.
It was great inside because it's very interactive and we were allowed to touch the Crystals and rocks. Some felt a bit cold and hard and others were shiny and some were rough.
Inside the Crystal Caves there is a great walkway to walk on and it feels like you are in a real cave. You have to duck your head in some places and there is a handrail to hold onto. It was fun.
There were so many cool things to look at and touch.
Each label has a number and name on it and you can read information about them in the Guidebook.
Some things are down low and other things are up high.
I really loved seeing all the cool fossils.
They have one of world's largest Amethyst Geodes on display. It is 3.5 metres tall and it's so beautiful and sparkly. It is surrounded by a beautiful Rose Quartz crystal brook, and it looks very magical.
There are some great places to take photos, like this one.
After we'd walked through the caves, we went out into the shop part of the building and had a good look at all the lovely rocks and crystals they have for sale.
There's lots of photos to show you how the Crystal Caves were built.
They have a great room where you can rest and relax after you have finished walking through the caves. You can watch a video about Rene and how he built the caves. There is also a sandpit and a blackboard in there for kids to play with.
I liked relaxing on the couch there.
You can buy your very own Geode and crack it open if you want to. The staff will help you if you need them to and you can get a certificate and it's fun to do.
We got one a few years ago when we visited.
Just up the road from The Crystal Caves is this cool car you can have a photo with.
I really liked visiting The Crystal Caves because it was a lot of fun and I saw lots of awesome things there and I would recommend other people visit there too.
Tips from my travelling companion -
We had a great time visiting The Crystal Caves. This was not our first visit but after reading an article recently on the recent upgrades they have undergone to improve their accessibility we were keen to experience the caves again. The Crystal Caves are now an accredited Accessible and Inclusive Tourism host, as awarded by the Australian Tourism Export Council and are excited to welcome visitors of all abilities. They are very proud of this and it is stated in the first page of their Guidebook. There's also lots of information on their website about the accessibility measures they have in place for people with a variety of needs, including Vision and Hearing impaired, mobility and cognitive and learning impaired.
Personally, we really loved the Social Story they have on the website as it was a great way for Flynn to prepare for his visit. The staff were friendly and patient in their interactions with Flynn and even though we visited during the busy school holiday period the environment was still calm and welcoming. On the website they do recommend visiting shortly after 9am if you would like to avoid crowds or you can call them to arrange a visit after hours if that suits best. The Audio guide and Guidebook mean that you can enjoy your own self-guided tour experience at your own leisure, rather than follow a group or leader around, which is great for those who don't like crowds. They also stagger the entry so that not too many people are inside the caves at once, which also helps to keep crowds to a minimum. Another positive of the self-guided tour is that you can spend as long or as short a time as you like in the caves. There are seats to sit on at various spots inside the cave and in the shop if you needed a rest from walking. There are also handrails to use along the walkways for those with limited mobility or balance issues. Flynn enjoyed spending time in the 'Relax and rock on' room after we exited the cave. It's a great spot to chill on the couch and watch the video or for kids to play in the sandpit or colour in. We all enjoyed the fact that the exhibits are interactive and you can touch and feel so many of the wonderful gems on display. This tactile aspect helped not only Flynn, but all of us to fully enjoy the visit and learn more by touch. Companion cards are accepted at The Crystal Caves as is outlined on the Accessibility page of their website as are Service animals. We were invited guests on this visit but this in no way has influenced our review and we would highly recommend visiting The Crystal Caves for a fun, hands on, educational experience for all ages and abilities!
By Jenni, Flynn's mum
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