8. From Hobart: Full-Day Tahune Airwalk & Hastings Caves Tour
You will travel south of Hobart into the great Southern Forests, through the picturesque Huon Valley, famous for its apple orchards, hence Tasmania being called The Apple Isle. Go along the beautiful Huon River and walk through the tree tops suspended 40 m high above the ground, then further south you'll delve 40 m underground into the vast chambers of a cave tour.
The first major adventure is to explore the Tahune Forest Airwalk, beginning along the Cantilever stretching for 597 m through the treetops. Enjoy the sensation of being suspended above the Huon River with breathtaking views across the treetops and surrounding mountains. Back on the forest floor you can take on a longer walk (1 hour) to experience the “Swinging Bridges”, crossing both the Picton and Huon rivers. With a 50 m span across the rivers, this is a thrilling experience and makes for fabulous photos. For a more gentle experience there is the easy 20 minute enchanting Huon Pine Walk where these famous and unique local trees grow alongside the river, some as old as 2000 years.
Heading south, you'll enjoy a number of easy walks, fabulous scenery and lookouts along the way.The Hastings Cave Reserve is another spectacular place to enjoy a variety of activities, and soak up the atmosphere. Bring your swimming gear and jump into the Thermal Springs swimming pool where the water is always 28 degrees, fed by the naturally heated waters of the thermal springs nearby. Relax in the beautiful forest surrounds or wander the Hot Springs Nature Trail where the warm water meets the cool water, home to the humorous and playful platypus.
Then it's time to head underground to explore the spectacular Hastings Caves which are Australia’s largest tourist dolomite caves, expertly shown by the National Parks & Wildlife Guides. The cave temperature is always 9 degrees so bring your jumper along.
The return to Hobart takes around 1.5 hours with a few short stops along the way. During the summer months there is ample opportunity to collect delicious local cherries, berries and apples on the way back.
This is a fun, diverse and relaxed day out, and you'll return to Hobart around 18:00.