Calcified Forest

The Calcified Forest is a natural limestone formation on the west coast of King Island, Tasmania, within the King Island local government area. It preserves the stumps and root structures of an ancient forest encased in calcium carbonate after being buried by calcareous sand dunes thousands of years ago. The exposed fossilised remains, set among coastal dunes and heathland, are notable for their geological rarity and scientific interest, offering visitors a distinctive landscape unlike elsewhere in Tasmania.

Visitors can expect an open coastal dune landscape with numerous hollow, calcified tree stumps and root casts protruding from limestone. A short boardwalk and interpretive shelter lead through the site with views over the rugged west coast, heathland and ocean. The area is exposed and windswept with no tree cover, focused on sightseeing, photography and understanding the geological formation.

The site preserves an ancient forest buried by calcareous sand dunes and subsequently calcified by calcium carbonate-rich water percolating through the dunes. Over thousands of years the wood decayed leaving hollow limestone casts of trunks and roots, later exposed by wind erosion. It is considered a significant geological example of calcification and dune formation in Tasmania.