Cave Clan is a primarily Australian group dedicated to urban exploration. The organization has branches in most states of Australia and in a few other countries. Unlike traditional caving groups they do not limit their activities to natural cavities. Founded in Melbourne by three teenagers, the Cave Clan has been in operation since January 26 1986; in subsequent years, several other underground exploration groups, such as the Drain Dwellers, have merged with the Cave Clan. There have also been schisms, with groups splitting off from the Cave Clan, though none of these splinter groups seem to have made as great an impact.
The organisation does not vandalise areas it explores, and has an excellent safety record; no one has ever been killed during Cave Clan activities.
The Cave Clan has been the subject of many unfounded rumours throughout its existence, including allegations of criminal activity and ritual behaviour. These rumours have all proven to be baseless.
The Cave Clan publishes a photocopied zine named "Il Draino". This zine may be obtained from the Cave Clan or from various alternative and countercultural bookshops in Australia, and includes photographs taken in underground formations. Additionally, stickers with the Cave Clan's postal address (PO Box 268, Abbotsford, Victoria, Australia) and the pseudonyms of Clan members appear from time to time in public spaces. It is rumoured that the Cave Clan or some of its members are connected to the profusion of stickers reading "This Is A Heavy Product".
In Il Draino and interviews, Cave Clan members have claimed that they are merely the latest in a long tradition of Australian urban and underground exploration, dating back decades before the founding of the organisation. One pioneer of this tradition, often cited as an inspiration to the Cave Clan's founders, was said to have been Alf Sadlier , an Australian urban explorer active in the 1940s. The existence of such a tradition would be in character with the Australian larrikin ideal.
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