Situated in the far south of the gorgeous Huon Valley, a scenic 90-minute drive from Hobart is Hastings Cave and Thermal Pools. This mysterious underground world will open your eyes with its natural wonders (stalactites and stalagmites) and fascinating history.
Here you can explore Newdegate Cave (named after Sir Francis Newdegate, the Governor of Tasmania from 1917-1920) - the largest dolomite cave in Australia which began to form more than 40 million years ago.
Hastings Cave (Credit: Joan Tsui)
Hastings Caves State Reserve offers a 45-minute ranger-led tour that takes you through spacious and well-lit passages. There are about 500 stairs with handrails leading in and out of the cave and it can get quite chilly inside the cave with the temperature being around 9 degrees Celsius all year long. Although it is all undercover, you could get a bit wet on a rainy day as the rainwater will still pass through the cracks and rocks to the cave systems. So a warm jacket and pair of good shoes are recommended – thank goodness we had all the right gear!
If you are lucky enough to have Ranger Jo as your guide (as we were), you are not just able to have fun with her (she has a great sense of humour and knows all the fun stories about the caves) but also enjoy her beautiful singing voice inside a natural "Opera House".
After the cave tour, don’t forget to visit the Thermal Springs pool which is just beside the visitor centre. Whilst it looks just like a standard swimming pool, it is actually fed by pure spring water, which maintains a constant temperature of 28 degrees Celsius all year. After a warm swim, you can stand by the woodfire in the hut and enjoy a cuppa to relax. There are also two short walks - 10 mins and 30 mins next to the pool, which I really enjoyed. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the native wildlife that share this forest including platypus, quolls, pademelons and birds.
Bookings are required for guided cave tours, and include complimentary thermal pool and amenities access. We got there 45 minutes before our allocated cave tour time, to ensure we had enough time to check-in and collect our tickets, and of course grab a hot coffee. After check-in there is a further 5km drive to the actual caverns and then a 200m walk to reach the cave entrance where the tour begins.
Joan Tsui
Tasmanian Travel & Information Centre