The Massive Australian Cave System You Never Hear About

Hidden beneath the remote landscapes of the Northern Territory lies Bullita Cave, Australia’s longest and least-known cave system. This enormous 123-kilometre underground labyrinth stretches through ancient Proterozoic dolostone in the Judbarra and Gregory Karst region. Its maze-like passages, shallow depth and astonishing density make it one of the most unusual cave networks on Earth. Bullita formed through the combined power of monsoonal flooding, rapid vertical infiltration and the erosion of a critical shale layer, producing a sprawling subterranean world that most people have never even heard of. This article explores the geology, hydrology and evolutionary history of Australia’s largest cave system and reveals why this hidden underworld is unlike anything else in the country.