hastings caves state reserve

Great tour, knowledgable guide and the cave is quite spectacular. Do yourself a favour and take the time to visit, you won't be disappointed.

Call to book and arrive at least 30 minutes early since you buy tickets and then drive to the cave entrance. Many stairs to the entrance and on the tour. Fantastic lighting and the walking path is well thought out. Watch walking surface in cave as it is uneven.I was surprised that they permitted flash photography since the light impacts the micro organisms that cover the cave. I was pleased to hear that they will arrest people stupid enough to handle or damage the fragile structures inside the cave that took millions of years to form. Good ! Add floggings as well !

Interesting caves, Jenny was a very informative guide who brought the experience to life. Thermal pool not very atmospheric and unfortunately the walks were closed because a tree came down. Still a great place to visit.

My family was trying to excape the heat of last Sunday, so we went to the Thermal Pool, the staff where brilliant, we had trouble with our card so they let us in for free, the grounds where clean and everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves, the pool was clean and it was just a lovely family day spent there. thank you to the staff

Took the drive to Hastings Cave. Wasn't disappointed. Very nice and our guide was a bit of a character. Great value for money as you got to go in the Thermal Pool after the tour. Well worth the drive.

The guide was fantastic she explained a lot about the cave with some added humour- well done. I have seen a few caves around Australia and in Tassie and this one was some what different, as you walk in there i a large area and the guide explained why this is (I won't spoil it for you). There is some stairs but I didn;t find them difficult it is well lit. Just down the road you can visit the thermal pool which was a great spot to visit after the walk in the cave. A great day out for all ages.

The Dolomite Cave Tour was very impressive and we had a very informative guide. The natural thermal springs pool was mildly warm, so don't expect HOT springs. The shower afterwards was delisciously warm however.

I enjoyed visiting the caves. I have visited a number of cave formations in Australia - All are unique and different. This cave has 500 or so stairs but are not exceptionally difficult to access. It was well lit and the guide was knowledgeable. Unfortunately we attended on a day when there was a large number of visitors and we felt like they rushed us along a little bit. Also had a lot of difficulties hearing the guide/seeing the formation she was showing us due the the number of persons there and several younger children crying/arguing.

We visited the Hastings Caves Reserve during a record rainfall (according to ABC News, "the Huon Valley received almost 80 millimetres, about two months' rainfall in a day.")I didn't realise that this would make the caves absolutely sodden! There was a lot of water, both inside and out.However, despite the water and the weather, we had the best time! I'm sure the site would be so nice on a dry day. We did not get to enjoy any walks or much of the reserve scenery - it was just too wet!The staff at the visitors centre and the tour guide were great. The tour was informative. This is a dolomite cave and while it looks similar to limestone caves, its geology is different. Our girls (child+nieces aged 7-11) loved the caves. If you have very young children consider if they are up to doing the 500 steps involved. We had a young child on our tour (about 4?) and he did ok with a lot of encouragement and a bit of help from his dad.The visitors centre had one of the best ranges of souviners I've seen anywhere. Be aware that the caves reserve *is* off the main road, and you do need to get your ticket at the visitors centre and drive 5 minutes down the road to the cave itself.The thermal pool was enjoyed by hubby and the girls. Not the best day for a swim, but they enjoyed it.Be aware that there is a limited range of food at the visitors centre. Pies, coffee, toasted sandwiches. Cookies, scones. Everything we had was delicious, especially the cookies for afternoon tea! However, not much variety in veggie options. Something to be aware of. Kids loved the toasted sandwiches.Overall we had a great visit and the kids recommend it!

One of the highlights of my trip. The drive there was scenic, roads were good. Gift Shop was lovely, friendly staff. Tour guide for the caves was engaging and gave great insight into its formation and history. Caves were stunning and captivating.

The drive to Hastings Cave is a wonderful, scenic, pleasant drive. It was cold and a bit rainy that day but the gravel road was easy to drive on, and well maintained.You stop at the Visitors Centre and purchase your tour tickets, then drive out to the cave entrance. The tours are every hour on the hour and tickets sales stop 15 mins prior. Once you reach the parking lot, the cave is a 5 minutes walk on a very well maintained boardwalk.Do bring a warm jumper or jacket as the cave is about 9 degrees year round.The cave itself was like nothing I've done before, a truly wonderful experience. Photos are allowed inside, but you are requested not to touch anything or risk damaging the cave, as it is very sensitive to the oils on human hands. The guides are informative, and very professional, and both named Steve.

The drive to the caves south of Hobart through the Huon Valley, following the beautiful Huon River is worth the 90mins. Hastings caves themselves are beautiful caves with lovely formations set in a lush forest. As we arrived on a wet day and only had a sedan we felt the dirt road to access the caves was an easy safe drive. The easy 5min walk through the bush to the cave entrance is all boardwalk and has information boards explaining the history of the area. The tour goes for about an hour and the guides are very informative and approachable.....and all named "Steve" A jumper may be required as the cave temp is about 9CAfter walking through the caves it was lovely to come back to the hot spring fed pool for a dip. It was raining on and off the day we were there but the pool was still warm and although not fully utilised due to the weather the surrounds would be lovely for a picnic or just relaxing. I was surprised to see that the hot spring fed pool did actually look like a backyard pool, I was expecting something more natural. there are lovely hot showers in the change room when you finish your swim as well.

We love visiting caves and this one does not disappoint. Every cave has its own unique features and this ones is the number of straws and large caverns. Quite a lot of stairs but definitely worth it.

I loved to tour around the caves and after that the dip in the springs. My son and I missed out on seeing a platypus on platypus walk by a few minutes.

The caves and hot springs are both out of the way for the usual traveller to Tassie, and after several trips we wanted to see something different, and were pleasantly surprised by both the cave walk and the hot springs. The cave walk was fascinating and well worth the trip on its own, and the hot springs at 29C were perfect to soothe aching muscles after many days of bushwalking.