Travel > Travel Guides > Tasmania > Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs

Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs

- by Bettina James

Things to do > Tasmania > Port Arthur > Salamanca Place > Wineglass Bay & Freycinet Peninsula > Barilla Bay Oyster > Tasmanian Devil Park > Tahune Air Walk > Tahune Eagle Glide > Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs > Sea Kayaking

Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs are serviced by one visitor centre. The roads are well signposted, so getting there is not too difficult, although the visitor centre is down a dirt road. The Caves are approximately five kilometres from the Visitor centre, and there are interpreted pamphlets, souvenirs and a licensed café. The Thermal Spring pool is next to the visitor centre.

The Caves were discovered in 1917 when timber workers discovered the entrance and are believed to be formed 40 million years ago. The Cave is the largest tourist cave in Australia and occurs in dolomite rather than limestone. It is run by the Parks and Wildlife Service, who have 45 minute daily tours through the large cavern. Formations in the cave are spectacular and include flowstone, stalactites, columns, shawls, straws, stalagmites and the unusual helictites. Bring a jacket as the underground temperate is naturally maintained at nine degrees Celsius all year round. To check for tour times, please visit the Parks and Wildlife Service website, as times change through out the year.

The Thermal Pool is a swimming pool, approximately 15 meters by 10 meters. When we arrived, we were disappointed to only see a swimming pool. There were children playing in the pool, so don’t think this is a retreat or resort type pool, where you sit and bathe. This is more like a local swimming pool, where the kids can play and the adults can use the BBQ facilities. The site is surrounded by forest and ferns and there is a large picnic area with change rooms, showers and toilets, electric barbecues, forest walks and a picnic shelter with open fires. The pool is fed from a spring that supplies spring water at around 28 degrees Celsius all year round, there’s also a paddling pool for children.

The forest walk is interesting as it educates visitors about how the thermal springs produce the natural warm spring water. The boardwalk is has plaques along the way which explain the process simply, so you can translate it to the kids without having to make things up.

Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs Info