The Vale of Belvoir is a large open limestone valley surrounded by ancient rainforests and eucalyptus forests. Of World Heritage significance, this natural wonderland is the only surviving grassland valley of its kind, unchanged since 18,000 – 20,000 years ago when glaciers covered much of highland Tasmania.
The valley is widely recognised as one of the most important places for nature conservation in Australia, being home to several threatened plant and animal species such as shy ground parrots, the ptunarra brown butterfly, the spotted‐tailed quoll, and the grassland paperdaisy. Tasmanian Devils also inhabit the area, and it is in the surrounding forests here that the last credible sightings of the now extinct Tasmanian Tigers were made.
The Vale has a rich, diverse and unique geology and is a key site for demonstrating geological and geomorphological processes in western Tasmania. It has been partly infilled with basalt that was glaciated in the early part of the last Ice Age. The basalt has improved the soil fertility and the limestone favours grasses.
At an average altitude of 800 metres, the valley is covered by sub-alpine vegetation. It is underlain by Ordovician limestone which has been dated to be about 450 millions years old, and is the largest sub-alpine limestone valley in Tasmania. The limestone is underlain by a formation of siliceous sandstone, quartzite and conglomerate, similar to that of the West Coast Range.
The limestone on the valley floor forms an active karst system, with many sinkholes and caves. The sinkholes are typically 10 to 20 metres across, with grassy or muddy walls, and floors where the surface soil has collapsed into the top of the cave beneath. Some of the sinkholes have exposed limestone sides, and some have permanent ponds or small lakes in them.
The valley has an unusual bi-directional drainage, which may be a result of the basalt flows. At the north end is Lake Lea, which flows northwards via the Lea River into the Iris-Wilmot system and out into the Bass Strait. The southern flowing Vale River drains the rest of the valley, out into the Pieman River on the West Coast.
Logging Requirements
In order to log this earthcache, you will need to visit the lookout at the posted coordinates and complete the following tasks:
- From the lookout, estimate the length and width of the valley (in kilometres)
- Is the valley carpeted in trees, grasses, sand, or is it bare and rocky? Can you explain why this might be?
- Looking out over the valley floor, can you notice any round patches about 10-20m metres across? If so, what do you think they are?
- For proof of visit, take a photo of yourself or a personal item such as your GPS showing the nearby brass directional marker, but be careful not to include spoilers to the above questions.
Should the area be covered in snow during your visit, you should still be able to answer the questions correctly with the help of the information on the cache page. Please email, or send a message (through geocaching.com) your answers to the above questions. Feel free to log your find in anticipation - we'll let you know if there are any issues. Logs without the emailed answers may be deleted.