Kubla Khan at Mole Creek is Tasmania's most famous decorated cave and one of only three limited-access caves in the state's parks, alongside Exit Cave and Khazad-Dum. At its end, a sump connects the cave to an underground river resurgence about 1.6 km away. A history published by cave divers describes a 1.1 km flooded passage containing three siphons of about 500 m, 120 m and 40 m (varying with water levels), extremely poor to zero visibility with heavy silting, and intensely cold water.

The sump has a long diving history. Bill Kunert, Glyn Davies and Michael Tobias made the first Tasmanian cave dive here in 1959; later teams returned in 1965, 1974 and 1978, when Ron Allum, Phil Prust and Peter Stace completed the connection, with further dives in 1983 and 1998. The account describes the sump as cold, dark and inhospitable, with narrow restrictions, line entanglement and silt-out disorientation, and several rescue situations.

Access to Kubla Khan requires membership of an ASF-affiliated caving club, a Parks permit and an official leader, and the sump is a serious technical cave dive. Other Tasmanian caves (Junee, Exit Cave, Mole Creek's Wet Cave) are either closed to divers, restricted by landowners or confined to expedition cave diving.

For recreational divers, the best way to see Mole Creek's karst is on the guided tours of Marakoopa and King Solomons caves, which show the glow-worms and formations that make the area famous. Honeycomb Cave, which needs no permit, is the usual introduction to Mole Creek caving for club members.

Mole Creek is about 1 hour west of Launceston. Kubla Khan is a limited-access cave: permits are issued by Parks and Wildlife (Great Western Tiers Field Centre) only to members of Australian Speleological Federation-affiliated clubs, and trips need an official local leader. Diving gear must be carried through the dry cave to the sump, which involves climbing, crawling and care to avoid damaging formations.

Mole Creek has a caravan park, hotel and store, and the Mole Creek Karst National Park visitor areas at Marakoopa and King Solomons caves are nearby.

Rain in the catchment raises water levels and flow in the sump and can make the siphon lengths change; cave divers choose dry periods. Water is about 6 °C year-round. Flooding can occur quickly after heavy rain on the Great Western Tiers, so trips should monitor the forecast and turn back if water levels rise; there is no surface weather to consider once underground.

Not a recreational dive. Historic expeditions laid line through three siphons (about 500 m, 120 m and 40 m) totalling 1.1 km to the resurgence, in near-zero visibility. Any modern attempt would be planned as a caving-club expedition, with gear portered through the dry cave, a primary guideline, redundant gas and lights, and a surface support team at the sump.

Full cave diving qualification (CDAA or equivalent) and sump-diving experience essential; sidemount/redundant gas, primary guideline, drysuit; not open to recreational or cavern divers.

No commercial operator. Access only through Australian Speleological Federation-affiliated caving clubs holding Parks permits, with an official leader; the sump has been dived by expedition cave-diving teams (1959, 1965, 1974, 1978, 1983, 1998).