Where

Deua National Park in South Coast, Country NSW, Snowy Mountains

Distance

4km return

Time suggested

1 - 2hrs

Grade

Grade 4

Trip Intention Form

It's a good idea to let someone know where you're going. Fill in a trip intention form to send important details about your trip to your emergency contact.

Please note

• The weather can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you are well prepared for your visit.
• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch.

In 1862, a young man called Boxall used four long saplings, a rope and a candle to explore a deep chasm out in the bushland of southeast NSW. The rubbly bottom he eventually landed on was 96m from the surface. Onlookers were all shaking their heads at his reckless behaviour but also itching to know what he’d found down there inside what is now known as The Big Hole.

Thought to be around 400 million years in the making, this is an extraordinary limestone marvel; a roofless cave which is over 100m deep and 50m wide. It can be reached by walking from Berlang campground, wading across Shoalhaven River, then continuing through dry eucalypt forest and unique nana heath, with expansive views of the park on your journey. The vast open chasm can be viewed from the lookout and, if you’re there in the early morning or late afternoon, you may see its resident lyrebird come out from its ferny grotto to feed. For a more challenging hike, carry on to Marble Arch or return to Shoalhaven River for a picnic and a swim.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Getting there and parking

Best times to visit

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Facilities

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Diverse scenery and luscious landscapes

From grassy woodlands on the lower eastern slopes of Deua Valley, to the peatlands and swamps on the tablelands, there are landscapes aplenty at Deua National Park. Valleys dissected by wild rivers, rugged mountains, deep gorges, dry ridges, steep escarpments, limestone karst and high plateaus are also some of the diverse landforms you'll find at Deua National Park. The Big Hole is thought to have been an underground cave until the ceiling collapsed and now is a 96m deep and 50m wide pit. Marble Arch has a car-sized boulder over its entrance and inside this cave are animal remains believed to be thousands of years old. Bendethera Cave is over 250m long, 320m wide and contains massive limestone formations in caverns with up to 15m high ceilings. Rocky outcrops found throughout the park support unique and rare species of gum trees, like the woila and jilliga ash, whilst the limestone slopes in Bendethera Valley is the only known location of Bendethera wattle; a sight to behold as they blossom during spring. The drier and cooler conditions allow pinkwoods and soft tree ferns to thrive in the higher altitudes of the eastern escarpments, and grey myrtle, lilly pilli and mock olives can regularly be seen along the small creeks and gullies throughout.

Powerful stuff

Deua is home to over 106 species of birds. There is a particularly high diversity of birds of prey in the park, such as the powerful owl and the peregrine falcon. The powerful owl is Australia's largest owl. The peregrine falcon, which is the fastest creature in the animal kingdom, can reach over 300km/hr in a high-speed dive when hunting. So if you see a dark vertical blur in the sky over Deua, you'll know now what it is and why it's moving so fast.

The trails of time

Passed on through generations in story and in song, the history of Aboriginal people of this land and their connection with all that surrounds them is very much a part of what you'll see in Deua National Park. Having travelled up and down the escarpment along well-worn pathways between the coast and the Monaro Tablelands for thousands of years, there are many places of spiritual significance. Scarred trees, grinding grooves and middens can be seen along the 'dreaming trails' of Deua.