Caver spots moving grass, uncovers one of Victoria’s longest caves

In 2006, Australian caver Kim Van Dyke noticed something unusual while walking through a reserve near Buchan in Victoria’s East Gippsland. A small patch of grass was moving, even though the surrounding vegetation was completely still and there was no wind.For most people, the movement might have seemed insignificant. For Van Dyke and her husband, John, it suggested something hidden beneath the ground. They began digging and soon discovered rock, and evidence of an underground current of air.That small clue led to the discovery of Elk River Cave, a vast subterranean system concealed beneath a seemingly ordinary paddock. Nearly two decades later, explorers have mapped 3.13 kilometres of the cave, making it one of Victoria’s longest. At a depth of about 135 metres, it is also among the state’s deepest known caves, as per a report by ABC News.A hidden world beneath the paddockElk River lies near the small town of Buchan, in Victoria’s East Gippsland, on Gunaikurnai Country. The region is known for its limestone formations and extensive cave systems, many of which have been shaped by water over immense periods of time.Beneath the green hills, underground waterways have been carving thro...