A little under two hour's drive from Hobart, Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs welcome you. As your guide will no doubt explain in more detail, the ground around here formed as something like a solid sponge, pockmarked with more holes than a Swiss cheese. These are the World Heritage Listed Hastings Caves. Most have been left untouched by tourism in the interests of conservation. However, Newdegate Cave is the exception to the rule. Prepare for a moderately energetic underground exploration, and bring your swimming things for the Thermal Springs at the end.
Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs is fairly driver-oriented. The Visitor Centre is five kilometres from the cave entrance, with a sealed road connecting the two. Once you are out of the car there is certainly the chance for a bit of a stroll in magnificently scenic surroundings before you go underground. There is the Platypus Walk, which takes around five to ten minutes, and the Hot Springs Forest Walk, somewhere in the region of twenty minutes to complete.
These are not the only above-ground attractions, as there are various picnic and barbecue-related bits and pieces for those of you bringing your own food with you. For everyone else, the Visitor Centre has that covered. The advice given is to allow twenty minutes for the drive from the Visitor Centre, plus another twenty-five or so for getting the tickets, in other words three quarters of an hour from turning up to beginning your scheduled tour.
So what's it like below ground? The Parks and Wildlife Service conduct tours lasting forty-five minutes. You book these tours at the Visitor Centre and, by doing so, there is no need to purchase a further pass for the World Heritage Listed Hastings Cave State Reserve into which you are entering.
The slow and magnificent work of nature has created columns, flow stones, stalagmites, stalactites and that most delicate display known as a helictite – imagine a cobweb made of fragile crystal. Your exploration takes place in a low level of light with two hundred and fifty stairs in each way. That basically tells you what you can expect in terms of the necessary level of fitness. As you are underground, it should go without saying that some warm clothing is ideal and make sure you have a good sturdy pair of shoes on. Any kind of clothing that would fit a swimming pool will be appropriate for the Thermal Pools at the end.
Hastings Caves go three kilometres under the ground, although the part open to visitors is a tenth of that, at three hundred metres maximum depth. Concrete floors and handrails have been installed so that your trip here should be most comfortable. Keep your eyes open for two animals which live in the low-light conditions here: the Tasmanian Cave Spider and the Cave Cricket. It is something of an eye-opener, no pun intended, to learn how they adapted in order for this to be their natural habitat.
Photograph to your heart's content, but there are no tripods or selfie sticks permitted in the caves. The same goes for backpacks, food and drink.
The Thermal Pools are above ground, set in a wonderful, lush forest glade. Unlike the caves, these are fully accessible for disabled people (assistance may be requested in advance). The admission price gives you unlimited access to the pools all day, so you may spend as much or as little time enjoying the warm waters as you prefer. They do recommend you bring sunscreen, as you can imagine that quite lengthy exposure to UV rays can be expected.
A temperature of about twenty-eight degrees Celsius can be experience in the Thermal Pools, as they gather and recirculate the naturally occurring warm spring waters. These are full of minerals, many of which are lauded for their health benefits. The pools themselves are artificial, looking very much like standard garden swimming pools, but the waters themselves are the real McCoy.
If you are making a whole day of it, and you probably should, Hastings Caves and Thermal Pools are furnished with plenty of picnic areas, some sheltered, and barbecue equipment. The barbecues are of the electric variety, as these are less likely to be a fire hazard in what is justifiably a World Heritage Listed site. You won't be permitted to bring equipment such as gas barbecues, electric fryers or other equipment which you would not imagine bringing to a national park. The one piece of time-planning that is worth making in advance is that the barbecues shut down half an hour before the whole place closes at the end of the day. For better or for worse, dogs are not permitted to any part of the Hastings Caves and Thermal Pools premises.
Because the guided tours of the caves are limited to sixteen people at a time, it is essential to book these tours in advance. This can be done up to fourteen days beforehand. The Thermal Pools do not require any advance booking. Every day except for Christmas Day the Hastings Caves and Thermal Pools are open.
From Hobart all you need to do is follow the Huon Highway south until you come across signs for Hastings. Then take a right turn onto Hastings Caves Road. If you find yourself in the township of Southport, you have overshot your exit and will need to make a U-turn. The whole journey will take somewhere in the region of an hour and three quarters.
While the sealed access road is suitable for all vehicles, the folks in charge have made a request that visitors do not travel on the roads in the region at night. This is to protect the local wildlife, which has a habit of roaming around the highways and byways, naturally oblivious to what a road vehicle is or how big a thump it can make at point-blank range. Basically, drive safely and you will all have an enjoyable day out.
