The untold treasures of many unexplored underground caves throughout Bhutan may see the light of day in the future, if the enthusiasm of a group of Bhutanese officials on a tour of Australia's famous Jenolan Caves, this week, is anything to go by.

The group is visiting Australia as part of a tour organised by Charles Sturt University researchers in tourism and environmental management. The researchers working with the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sustainable Tourism, are among Australia's leaders in research, education and development aspects of the tourism industry in Africa and the Asia Pacific region.

In Bhutan, where the boom in eco-tourism is yet to really make an impact, there are no cave systems open to the public, unlike many opening up in nearby China and throughout Asia. At the Jenolan Caves several guided tours and meetings with caves management gave the Bhutanese an insight into the potential for caves tourism in their own country and stressed the importance of environmental management in this process.

The eight Bhutanese visitors, including four senior government administrators and a number of park rangers, are seeking a first hand understanding of Australia's problems and solutions in the management of natural resources in protected areas.

The visit included field trips to national parks and other attractions across NSW including Huskisson, Dubbo, Canberra, Sydney, Bathurst, Albury, Wagga Wagga and many places in between. The three-week Bhutanese study tour has been held in conjunction with the CRC's first inter-campus workshop on Natural Resource Management and Society, which was held throughout April and early May on CSU's Albury, Wagga Wagga and Bathurst Campuses.