There's a certain amount of equipment needed to go caving. "The minimum is a helmet and a proper light and backup lighting," says Illawarra Speleological Society club secretary Alison Scobie, "but you also need ladders and abseiling equipment."

You can get rather muddy caving, so a sturdy pair of overalls is a good idea.

SKILLS

As well as the equipment, caving requires a number of skills. "Over a period of time you acquire a lot of skills," says fellow society member Bob Kershaw. "From orienting yourself in a cave and trying to find your way out again to team work, leadership, rope work and ladders, to just learning to walk through a cave without damaging it."

Many caves require abseiling to enter them and "prusiking" (a rope climbing method) to come back out. "And then you get to the stage where you start learning to survey and map a cave," says Kershaw.

CHILDREN

Many cavers gain their first experience as teenagers through Scouts or school, but younger children can go caving as well.

"In terms of their limitations that just means there are some handholds and things that they just can't reach, so you come prepared to assist them through the cave," Scobie says. "The children only attend with their parents and we cater to whoever is coming on the trip - if the adults want to go off on a really full-on cave we leave the kids behind."

50th ANNIVERSARY

The Illawarra Speleological Society celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 6, 2013 at Mt Keira Scout Camp. Guest speaker is Lloyd Robinson, one of the club's founding members. To find out more at illawarra-speleological-society.org