Remarkable Cave

Useful Information

Location:	7182/446 Safety Cove Rd, Port Arthur, 7182. (-43.1878822, 147.8442976)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	Daily Pass per vehicle AUD 47.70. Holiday Pass per vehicle AUD 95.50. [2024]
Classification:	Sea Cave Natural Bridge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	St=115.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Remarkable Cave, 7182/446 Safety Cove Rd, Port Arthur, 7182 Tasman National Park, Tasman Field Centre, 5803 Arthur Highway, Taranna TAS 7180, Tel: +61-3-6250-3980. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The name Remarkable Cave is somewhat nonsensical, more like a description than a proper name. And actually the cave is rather unremarkable, a small sea cave on a remote part of the southeastern edge of the Tasman Peninsula. The remarkable part is officially the fact that you can see Tasmania in the cave. Some say it’s a legend, but that’s nonsense, there are photographs on the web which show the outline, and it actually looks like Tasmania on a map, the typical triangular form pointing to the south. Standing on the viewing platform in front of the cave the visitor can see through the sea cave, and the outline at the far end has the characteristic shape. This is actually "remarkable", as the cave is formed in vertical layers of sandstone rock and actually has a more or less rectangular passage with e flat ceiling and almost vertical walls. Quite nitpicking is the comment that there is a wrong bump at the top center of the cave opening.

The site is well developed as a part of the Tasman National Park. There is a parking lot at the end of the road and a 15-minute trail to the viewing platform. However, the parking lot is on the plateau and the viewing platform is down at the sea, so there is a long series of staircases with 115 steps leading down. The site is freely accessible, as far as we know there are no restrictions. While the site has no separate entrance fees, a valid parks pass is required for entry to all of Tasmania’s national parks. While there is a daily pass, we guess most tourists will choose the Holiday Pass which is valid for the whole holidays up to two months.

At low tide it is possible to venture into the cave, although this is actually not allowed. Walking through the cave to the sea is prohibited and there is no exit from the viewing platform. Inside you would see that there are actually two entrances to the sea, as the cave has a Y-shape.