Mount Gambier is a rural city in South-Eastern South Australia approximately half way between Adelaide and Melbourne. Within it’s city boundaries it contains a unique landscape of volcanic craters that have filled to make lakes that are an incredible blue colour.

The larger Blue Lake, changes it’s colour from grey to a brilliant turquoise blue hue around November each year.

It can be viewed from the many lookouts in the area or opt to join Aquifer Tours for a tour down the original stone bore well, through a tunnel down to the viewing area near the lake surface. The Blue Lake provides water for the City of Mount Gambier.

The Valley Lake Wildlife Park and Boardwalk are a nice place to spend time for visitors and have recreational grounds, free BBQ’s and an adventure playground for the kids.

Walking and Mountain Bike Trails provide many opportunities for the nature lovers and for those who wish to view the city and surrounds from the highest point are well rewarded when taking the walk to The Centenary Tower.

The Crater Lakes with its walking trails, lookouts and mountain bike trail provides a range of activities for all ages. Umpherston Sinkhole, once a cave, is now a magnificent terraced garden deep within the limestone, beautiful by day and exciting at night when possums come out to feed in the floodlit gardens. Umpherston Sinkhole offers a unique setting for family picnics and BBQ’s within its surrounding parklands and undercover BBQ area.

The Cave Gardens are located near the city centre. Water drawn from the cave was the original source of water for early settlers. The gardens are famous for the beautiful roses. Viewing platforms provide awesome views down into the cave which is floodlit at night. During days of high rainfall, a natural waterfall is created when water pours into the cave.

Engelbrecht Cave is a huge complex of caves beneath Mount Gambier. Tours are conducted daily and you’ll see the two chambers that lie just under the city streets. You’ll also see where divers enter the water to dive beneath the city.

The Heritage Buildings of Mount Gambier are  unique as they use local limestone and dolomite for building material. You can see many of them lit up by flood lights at night as they form part of the “Night Light’s Tour”.

Local Sights and Attractions

Close by to Mount Gambier are many well known tourist attractions.

Mount Schank is a 15 minute drive South, where you will find walking trails up to the top and down into the crater. Nearby is The Little Blue Lake, where you can swim in crystal clear water.

10 minutes further South, is Port MacDonnell, which claims the title of Australia’s Southern Rock Lobster Capital.

Drive 30 minutes across to Nelson, to enjoy the Glenelg River and National Park, which provides many recreational activities including river cruises, fishing, boating, skiing, bush walking and a tour of the famous Princess Margaret Rose Cave.

For those who wish to venture a little further away, a drive of 1 hour and 15 minutes will get you to Portland to see the Maritime Museum, take a tour of the Aluminium Smelter or board the Cable Tram for a scenic ride along the harbour. While you are there add Cape Bridgewater to your trip and view the Seal Colony from land or by boat on the Seals by Sea Tour.

Just 30 minutes North of Mount Gambier is the township of Penola with its historical buildings, galleries and the Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre.

The local wine industry grows some of the best cool growing wine varieties, being one of Australia’s most southern wine growing areas.

Just north of Penola is the world famous Coonawarra Wine area where more than 20 cellar door sales are open for tastings. 

Another 30 minutes north, is the World Heritage Listed Naracoorte Caves which provides a range of visitor experiences including cave tours, the Bat Tour which shows infrared scanning of bats within the cave below, and the Wonambi Fossil Centre, which is suitable for persons with limited mobility. The Naracoorte Caves are one of the world’s most important fossil sites.

For around 500,000 years, the caves acted as traps for animals whom accidentally fell into the caves through a hole in the ground and were then unable to get out. Their bones have collected layer over layer for half a million years and created a fantastic fossil record of the ancient animals that roamed the countryside.

West of Mount Gambier is The Tantanoola Cave, a single dolomite cavern filled with spectacular formations. You can book your Tantanoola cave tour online in advance.

At the Millicent Living History Museum you can see a collection of horse drawn vehicles. 

Mount Gambier is serviced by daily flights to and from Melbourne and Adelaide and various local charters, tours and cruises offer a range of experiences for those who wish to use Mount Gambier as a base to enjoy the surrounding regions.

Mount Gambier has an unusual tourism information centre, the The Lady Nelson Visitor and Discovery Centre, which has a full sized replica of the HMS Lady Nelson that was used over 200 years ago to map the local coastline. The centre provides free information and is good place to stop first to help refine your visit.

The Lady Nelson Discovery Centre uses high tech interactive displays to tell the history, geology and culture of the local Limestone Coast Region. At the centre you’ll see the glass floor of the Cave Walk, the erupting volcano in the Geology Room and the story of Discovery told by Lt. Grant of HMS Lady Nelson.