1. Labertouche Cave

This information has been developed from the publications:

Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in Central Gippsland (1981) by Neville Rosengren, M.S McRae-Williams and S.M Kraemers,
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay and in the Catchment of Westernport Bay (1984, 88) by Neville Rosengren.
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the South Gippsland Marine and Coastal Parks (1989) by Neville Rosengren.

Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage section of the Geological Society of Australia website (external link) for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:	988929. Eleven kilometres north of the Princes Highway at Robin Hood.
Access:	Forest Commission Track off Jacksons Track.
Ownership:	Crown Land
Geology/Geomorphology:	Tynong Granite. Labertouche Cave is occupied by a tributary of Labertouche Creek which flows underground for a distance of 175 metres. The accessible cave section is slightly shorter than this, and is entered through an old stream sink located above the currently active stream passages. The cave consists of a passage through a pile of corestones of granite, in places there are exposures of in sit u granite. Vigorous stream-flow is maintained, which transports sand and gravel through the cave. Grooved and polished boulder surfaces found at several levels throughout the cave illustrate the abrasive action of this transported material. A smaller cave 200 metres to the east is on a tributary stream. As yet no accessible cave passage has been discovered.
Significance:	State. There are only three known accessible cave passages through acid igneous rocks in Victoria. As cave development on this lithology is rare, the precise mode of origin of the Labertouche Cave is not known. The site therefore is of considerable importance for the study of weathering, mass wasting and stream passage development.
Management:	Quarrying, roadworks, or construction activities at the cave site should be prohibited. The valley slopes adjacent to the stream sink should not be logged or cleared as this may produce debris that could block or divert stream flow and obscure the cave entrance.
References:	Finlayson, B.L. 1981. Underground streams on acid igneous rocks in Victoria. Helictite, (In Press).

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