A contradictory combination of fires and floods have made a WA tourist spot a once in a lifetime opportunity

Deep beneath the surface, one of WA’s most iconic tourist spots has seen surprising transformation as a result of devastating bushfires in December 2021.

Lake Cave is one of the most iconic caves found in the South West, best known for its picturesque beauty, stunning geographical features and, of course, the lake within.

The cave’s water level is at it’s highest since the 1940s, with the iconic suspended table gingerly touching the rippling water below.

The increase in water depth surprisingly comes as a result of the destructive Calgardup Bushfires in 2021.

The fires that tore through the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park scorched the ground above lake cave, burning it so severely that, as the plants were recovering, rainwater was unrestricted seeping into the ground.

Cave guide Jackson Dillon said rainwater takes 10 months to filter down into the cave and the deluge that followed this catastrophe only began dripping into the cave in late 2022.

“After the fire, I remember being in the cave and there being hardly any dripping, it was very barren and there was not much water,” he said.

“But then, one day the water staring increasing and certain spots in the cave just went crazy.”

Since June 2022, the cave’s water level began to rise.

“The water level peaked in August last year,” Mr Dillon said.

“It stayed steady until September, but is on a declining trend now, though it is still very full.”

Mr Dillion said, because the cave is filled with rainfall, and overall less is seen each year, it is unlikely Lake Cave will reach it’s present levels again for a very long time.

He said seeing the cave this full is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“You are seeing more water in the cave than was there when Europeans discovered it,” he said.

The cave did flood significantly, to the point it could not be easily entered in the 1920s and 1940s after bushfires hit the region, however, these fires were then followed by significant rainfall, Mr Dillon said.

Continuing to bounce back from the devastation of the Calgardup fires, a viewing platform that turned to ash has been replaced and opened above the cave entrance this week, with another higher lookout nearing the end of its construction.

In order to better understand the complex water systems that feed Lake Cave, the Capes Foundation recently partnered with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions to investigate the sources of groundwater and organic matter that supports communities of microorganisms living within the caves.