ASF Conference Publications

The Proceedings of the ASF Biennial Conferences document the history of caving, research and exploration in Australia and around the world, and provide a means of sharing the latest speleological research.

ASF Library holdings for ASF Conference Proceedings start with notes, with the first transcript of actual Proceedings beginning at No.7 in 1968. ASF conferences are usually biennial and are normally be held over the New Year period. Prior to No. 5, there are only references in some club journals as to where and when these meetings were held - although there is an excellent description of how the first ever conference in Adelaide came about in 1956, written by Elery Hamilton-Smith, which can be found in the contents of the 21st Biennial Conference held in 1997.

No actual proceedings for the 9th ASF Biennial Conference, Nibicon, were ever published. There is a programme, some photos, and unpublished manuscripts (still to be uploaded, login will be required to view).

The ASF Biennial Conferences cover a wide range of subjects related to Speleology, and the conferences themselves serve as an important meeting point for caving enthusiasts, technical caving specialists and scientists with cave-related interests.

Periodicity not withstanding, the conference proceedings have been catalogued as monographs, as regularity of publication cannot be guaranteed, and publishing formats and details vary widely. While various formats have been trialled over the years, from print to CDs to videos, it is unlikely that hard copies of Proceedings will be produced in future, with digital-only Proceedings in pdf format dating from No.31. There may still be flyers, information sheets and guidebooks printed in future years, but most correspondance and promotions are expected to be digital.

 ASF Biennial Conference No 7 (1968)

ASF Biennial Conference No 8 (1970)

ASF Biennial Conference No 9 (1972) "Nibicon"

ASF Biennial Conference No 10 (1974)

ASF Biennial Conference No 11 (1976) - "CaveConACT"

ASF Biennial Conference No 12 (1979) "WACCON"

ASF Biennial Conference No 13 (1980) "Cave Convict"

ASF Biennial Conference No 14 (1983) "Speleovision"

ASF Biennial Conference No 15 (1985) "Speleomania"

ASF Biennial Conference No 16 (1987) "Speleotec '87"

 ASF Biennial Conference No 17 (1988) "Tropicon"

ASF Biennial Conference No 18 (1990-91) "Cave Leeuwin"

ASF Biennial Conference No 19 (1993) "TASTROG"

ASF Biennial Conference No 20 (1995) "VULCON"

 

ASF Biennial Conference No 21 (1997)

ASF Biennial Conference No 22 (1999) "Cave Queensland"

ASF Biennial Conference No 23 (2001) "2001 : A Cave Odyssey"

ASF Biennial Conference No 24 (2003) "Under WAY 2003"

ASF Biennial Conference No 25 (2005) "Cave Mania"

ASF Biennial Conference No 26 (2007) "Caves, Craters & Critters"

ASF Biennial Conference No 27 (2009) "Karstaway Konference"

ASF Biennial Conference No 28 (2011) "Chillicon"

ASF Biennial Conference No 29 (2013) "TROGalong"

ASF Biennial Conference No 30 (2015) "Ningaloo Underground"

ASF Biennial Conference No 31 (2018-19) "The Darkness Beneath"