Trowutta Arch

The Tarkine, or takayna, is one of the southern hemisphere's largest surviving expanses of cool temperate rainforest, and Trowutta Arch offers a short, accessible entry point into its otherworldly interior. The path to the arch winds through stands of myrtle beech and tree ferns, with the forest floor carpeted in mosses and liverworts. The transition from open farmland to dense rainforest happens almost immediately after leaving the car park, creating a powerful sense of crossing into another world.

The arch itself is a substantial limestone structure with curtains of ferns and mosses clinging to its walls. The flooded sinkhole on one side reflects the overhanging canopy in its perfectly still surface, creating a striking mirror effect especially in flat light. The dry sinkhole on the other side provides a different perspective, with sheer limestone walls dropping away below the arch. Interpretive signage explains the karst geology and the process by which the cave roof gradually thinned and collapsed over thousands of years.

Trowutta Arch is a signed stop on the Tarkine Drive route and is lightly visited compared with more publicised Tarkine destinations, which makes it a genuinely tranquil stop. Wallabies and wombats are commonly seen along the access roads at dawn and dusk. The road to the site from Trowutta is unsealed but well-maintained and suitable for conventional vehicles. There are no facilities at the car park.