However, a new nature play program aimed at primary-school aged children is shining the spotlight on part of the popular park usually bypassed by even the most regular visitors.

Located below the park’s visitor centre is a hidden valley flanked by dramatic limestone bluffs and riddled with concealed cave entrances. This is the spectacular setting for the aptly-named "Little Caves for Little Kids" experience.

Although it’s strictly kids-only, your Akubra-clad columnist recently convinced a guide to allow me to tag along on a tour with my eight- and 11-year-old daughters.

It’s immediately obvious why the tour comes with advice to wear old clobber. First there’s a squeeze through a large monolith (best not to indulge too much for lunch!), followed by a scramble across the icy creek via a series of naturally occurring stepping stones (or if you are really daring you can attempt to cross on a fallen log), and into the darkened mouth of an opening in the side of the hill.

Hanging curiously from the roof of this small cave is a metal hook.

“This was once the meat safe for the early settlers here,” explains Nic, one of the two energetic guides, both of whom seem to be having just as much fun negotiating narrow gaps on all fours as the kids.

“The near-constant year-round cool temperature of the cave is ideal for storing meat and other perishables.”

Back out into the light and it’s time to make an impromptu cubby-house from fallen branches before snooping around another cave.

This one is a little too tight for your columnist to slither into so I have to rely on claims by Emily, my eight-year-old daughter that “beware daddy, there are troglodytes in there!”

But there’s no need to get too frightened of the denizen of the dark, for according to Nic, “it’s probably just a cave cricket”.

Every 50 metres or so there’s either another squeeze, another scramble or even better, a climb-up through a "chimney".

In all, on the 90-minute cave crusade, we explore five caverns including one abyss which includes a sloping rock-come-slippery dip (wear thick pants!).

We even get to see where the chilly water of Rules Creek disappears underground – the very reason many of the bigger show caves exist.

“The water from this creek has been dissolving the limestone over thousands of years to create many of the caves here at Yarrangobilly,” Nic, wiping another trail of mud dripping from her brow, says.

While the caves explored on this tour are light-on in terms of speleothems (cave decorations), the freedom to explore by torchlight and not be confined to set paths makes this a much more interactive and fun experience for kids than a walk through the more dramatic show caves.

The fact it’s adult-free also means mum and dad can relax by a barbecue or settle into their room in the on-site restored Caves House while the kids have fun.

Having enjoyed a weekend in the restored 1901 wing about a decade ago, bunking down in the grand two-storey 1917 section had been near the top of my bucket list for many years.

With its high ceilings, grand stairway, and historic photos adorning the walls, it’s the perfect place to rest and relax after a day underground. It’s also a much better option than facing the long drive home at dusk, dodging all those kangaroos on the highway.

In school holidays the common lounge is abuzz with freshly showered kids excitedly recounting their day’s adventures both above and below ground. Oh, and some also playing hide and seek behind the curtains, under the tables and even in the broom cupboard. Fun the old-fashioned way.

This column has long championed the benefits of nature play, and while some may argue such play is best unstructured, this innovative and engaging kids-only tour will not only enthral children but also attract a new generation to Yarrangobilly.

With limited mobile reception and no wi-fi, it may also force mum and dad to enjoy some device-free time with their kids. Something, in today’s world, we could all do with more of.

Yarrangobilly Caves: Located within the northern section of Kosciuszko National Park, just off the Snowy Mountains Highway, 109km from Cooma. The last 6km is unsealed but suitable for 2WD.

Nature Play: Yarrangobilly now offers a range of nature play programs every school holidays. ‘Little Caves for Little Kids’ is on October 3, 5 and 11 from 2pm–3.30pm. Suitable for ages 4-12. Cost $15pp, bookings essential. On the same days at 10.30-12pm, there will also be a "Bug Hunt" where, with keen eyes and magnifying glasses, kids will discover the wonderful world of bugs both in and out of caves. www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/littlecaves

Did You Know? These kids-only tours are also available on request for private bookings for onsite guests, birthday parties and group excursions.

Caves House: Bunk down onsite in renovated 1901 Caves House. Range of options available from self-contained to share kitchens. Leave the mobile devices at home. The kids will love the common lounge, complete with piano and board games. www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/yarrangobilly or Ph: 02 6454 9597.

Tim’s Tip: Although it’s spring, mountain weather can be fickle, pack for all conditions from sun to snow.

When this shiny new sign encouraging motorists to call into and experience the delights of the historic village of Collector, just 50km north-east of Canberra was erected last week, several eagle-eyed travellers promptly contacted this column.

“If you look closely at the heritage symbol of the ‘castle’ it looks a bit like it has googly eyes, a bit like a ghost,” reports one anonymous motorist.

Meanwhile another Collector resident asks, “does this mean we are we now officially a haunted town?” a reference to the town’s circa 1860 Bushranger Hotel where "ghostly sightings" are a regular occurrence.

For the record, your Akubra-clad columnist hosts occasional heritage evenings at the hotel, but I can confirm that I haven’t been anywhere near the village in the past two weeks. Besides, I don’t think my ladder would reach that high.

Has someone "added" the eyes or was it a cheeky inclusion in the original design? Someone must know.

With so many stalactites (yes, they are the ones which reach down from the cave roof), stalagmites (remember, they "might" one day reach up to the cave roof) and helictites (they are much more delicate and grow at other angles), Yarrangobilly, like most cave precincts, is a treasure trove of simulacra. However, one of the most photographed underground features at Yarrangobilly is this shadow created by the alignment of speleothems (the term for any cave decoration) in front of a light in the North Glory Cave.

According to one cave guide, “the shadow wasn’t intentional and is purely a result of the where the light was installed and even though it’s not sign-posted, around 50 per cent of visitors notice it”. Can you "see" the gorilla?

What? Join the Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens for a 90-minute guided walk to see many of the garden’s amazing birds.

Expect: To learn to identify our most common birds, spy on some honeyeaters and discover the habitat where birds are most commonly encountered in the gardens.

Did You Know? Spring is a great time to observe the feeding and nesting behaviour of our native birds and their young.

When? 7:45am on weekends from September 22 to October 14.

Bookings essential. $12 for friends of the gardens, $15 for others. (Not suitable for children under 8 years old.)

More: www.friendsanbg.org.au or Ph: 0421 131 898.

Contact Tim: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick. You can see a selection of past columns online.

Cryptic Clue: "Welcome back" to spring weather

Degree of difficulty: Medium

Congratulations to Helen Armstrong of Queanbeyan who was the first reader to correctly identify last week’s photo as a gate at the end of Florence Street, Oaks Estate, which is used to access the reserve along the Molonglo River.

The photo was sent in by Peadar Macmanus who walks his dog along the river every Saturday and Sunday morning and reports “this revamped version of the decorative gate is only a couple of years old.”

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday 22 September, 2018 will win a double pass to Dendy - The Home of Quality Cinema.