Mount Gambier

A city built on an extinct volcano, where the Blue Lake turns cobalt from November, with sinkhole gardens, snorkelling in crystal-clear spring-fed ponds, caves and the Coonawarra wine region.

Mount Gambier is South Australia's second-largest city, with a population of about 27,000. It lies about 440 km southeast of Adelaide and about 450 km west of Melbourne, built on the slopes of an extinct volcano that erupted some 5,000 years ago. The area is limestone country above a vast underground aquifer, which has created crater lakes, sinkhole gardens, crystal-clear ponds and caves, a distinctive 'volcano plus karst' landscape. The best season is November to March: around November the Blue Lake turns an intense cobalt blue, and summer is also the best time to swim at Little Blue Lake and snorkel at Piccaninnie Ponds and Ewens Ponds; the caves and wine region can be visited year-round, though winters are cold, grey and wet. The sights fall into three areas: in town, the Blue Lake, Valley Lake, Centenary Tower, Umpherston Sinkhole, the Cave Garden and Engelbrecht Cave, all doable in a day; along the southern coast, Mount Schank, Little Blue Lake, Ewens Ponds, Piccaninnie Ponds and the fishing port of Port MacDonnell, which make a day trip; and to the north, the Coonawarra terra rossa wine region and the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves about 100 km away, often combined into one day trip. Getting there: regional flights (about 1 hour) and coaches run from Adelaide and Melbourne; drivers can use Mount Gambier as a stopover between the western end of the Great Ocean Road (via Portland) and Adelaide. Plan on 2–3 days. Note: snorkelling at Piccaninnie Ponds must be booked online in advance; the ponds stay at about 15°C year-round, so hire a thick wetsuit; and don't drink and drive after wine tasting.

Top sights

• Blue Lake / Warwar – A lake in the crater of the Mount Gambier volcano. Each year around November its water turns from grey-blue to a intense cobalt blue, makin…
• Umpherston Sinkhole – A sunken garden formed where a limestone cave collapsed. Steps lead down to hydrangea beds and hanging vines at the bottom, and at night yo…
• Naracoorte Caves National Park – One of the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites World Heritage listings, preserving giant-animal fossils spanning 500,000 years.
• Cave Garden / Thugi – A 20-metre-deep sinkhole garden in the city centre where the city began. After dark, the cave walls host a light show telling Aboriginal st…
• Valley Lake / Ketla Malpi – A volcanic crater lake reserve beside Blue Lake, with a wildlife park, boardwalks, picnic areas and crater trails.
• Centenary Tower – A stone tower on the volcano's highest point, the city's high point, with views over the crater lakes and the town.
• Engelbrecht Cave – A limestone cave in town that you can visit on a guided tour to see its underground pools. It's also a training site for cave divers.
• Little Blue Lake – A natural sinkhole lake south of Mount Gambier with deep blue water, where you can dive and swim from platforms. It's a summer hot spot.
• Mount Schank – A well-formed extinct volcanic cone. A 15-minute climb up steps reaches the crater rim, and you can also descend to the crater floor.
• Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park – Underground spring pools with visibility of tens of metres, where snorkellers float over a 100-metre-deep “Cathedral” cave. A Ramsar wetlan…
• Ewens Ponds Conservation Park – Three connected clear spring pools where snorkellers drift with the current past the weeds, as if looking into an aquarium.
• Port MacDonnell – A fishing town at South Australia's southernmost point, billed as Australia's “Rock Lobster Capital”, with a long jetty and beaches.
• Tantanoola Caves – Dolomite caves with pinkish and white stalactites. They are the only caves in South Australia accessible by wheelchair.
• Princess Margaret Rose Cave – A cave on the Victorian side beside the Glenelg River, with dense white stalactites and helictites. Visits are by guided tour.
• Coonawarra Wine Region – A famous cabernet region known for its “terra rossa” soil, with more than 20 cellar doors lining the road.
• Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre – A regional art gallery at the main street junction in the city centre, showing contemporary art and local history. Free admission.

Where to eat

• The Barn Steakhouse – A long-established steakhouse that raises its own Hereford cattle and dry-ages beef in-house for over 60 days, with a w…
• Metro Bakery and Cafe – A city-centre bakery café open from breakfast through dinner, with a wide range of cakes and a long-standing reputation…
• Thyme at the Lakes – A lakeside restaurant with views over the whole city, where the Spanish-style baked seafood paella and lamb are the mos…
• Wild Ginger Thai – A city-centre Thai restaurant opened in 2008, with affordable curries and stir-fried noodles. Takeaway and BYO are avai…

Itineraries

• Adelaide to Melbourne Coastal Drive – Drive east along the South Australian coast via the Coorong, Robe, and Blue Lake, then join the Great Ocean Road to Mel…