Hell’s Hole, South Australia: Location, diving & walk

Near Mount Gambier on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, Hell’s Hole is a sinkhole popular with cave divers. Everyone else can take the short walk from the car park to the viewing platform.

Hell’s Hole near Mount Gambier on South Australia’s Limestone Coast forms one of the more unusual parts of the region’s karst landscape.

This Limestone Coast attraction is a cenote – a sinkhole which keeps going into open water. This sinkhole is on Forestry SA land, with Caveton the nearest settlement. Mount Gambier is about 20km away, and you can easily drop by on the drive from Warrnambool to Mount Gambier.

How big is Hell’s Hole?

Hell’s Hole is approximately 45 metres in diameter and 25 metres deep. It is roughly circular.

Generally, there are two types of visitors to this Limestone Coast sinkhole – those who want to take photos and those who want to go diving.

Divers have a few hoops to jump through. They need to be a member of either the Cave Diving Association of Australia or Australian Cave Explorers. They also need to arrange a permit from Forestry SA in advance.

Hell’s Hole walk

For everyone else, there’s a viewing platform that takes in the cenote from above. From the car park, there’s a 750 metre loop walk that heads through native bushland, emerging at the viewing platform.

To get to the Hell’s Hole car park, drive down Sea Coast Hill Road from Caveton.

Other Limestone Coast sinkholes of note include Little Blue Lake in Mount Schank, the Kilsby Sinkhole and, in Mount Gambier itself, the Umpherston Sinkhole. There are also diveable sinkholes at Piccaninnie Ponds.