Mole Creek Karst National Park

For the nearby town, see Mole Creek.

Mole Creek Karst National Park
Tasmania
Inside the Marakoopa Cave
Map
Nearest town or cityDeloraine
Coordinates41°36′02″S 146°17′22″E / 41.60056°S 146.28944°E / -41.60056; 146.28944
Established1996
Area13.45 km2 (5.2 sq mi)
Managing authoritiesTasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteMole Creek Karst National Park
Footnotes
CriteriaCultural: iii, iv, vi, vii; natural: viii, ix, x
Reference181
Inscription1982 (6th Session)
See alsoProtected areas of Tasmania

Mole Creek Karst is a national park situated in the North of Tasmania, Australia, 168 km northwest of Hobart. It is located on the slopes of the Great Western Tiers to the east of the town of Mole Creek.[2] It is the only national park in Tasmania created specifically to protect karst landforms. It is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.

The national park comprises twelve separate blocks of land, some of which are completely surrounded by cleared, private land, and many of which whose karst features and cave entrances are located outside the bounds of the national park.[2]

The Mole Creek Karst National Park is characterised by its numerous and spectacular cave networks, which attract many tourists each year. Two of these particular caves; King Solomons cave, which features an extensive network of sediment and bone deposit, as well as shawls, and speleothems which make up stalactites and stalagmites.,[3] as well as the Marakoopa cave; which is popular for its fantastic glow worm display, and features two underground streams, large caverns, rim pools, reflections and shawl and flowstone features, have been developed as very successful show caves and are the main attraction of the guided cave tours. Many of the caves within the national park remain underdeveloped and are not promoted, although they are visited by the occasional recreational caver. Many other caves are located on private land, and therefore pose an issue in regards to management and conservation.[4]

The national park was declared in 1996 to provide protection for an extensive system of over 300 known caves and sinkholes, including Marakoopa and King Solomons Cave.[5]

The national park is categorised as an IUCN Category II protected area.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Reserve Summary Report" (PDF). Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. 20 February 2015. p. 31. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference parks2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Mole Creek Karst National Park Activities Archived 19 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference eberhard2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Mole Creek Karst National Park Archived 9 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania, retrieved 27 November 2010