An often forgotten city that is built around gigantic sinkholes and dormant volcanoes is a hidden gem that remains largely unknown by tourists overseas.
Nestled along the Limestone Coast in South Australia, Mount Gambier is known for its crater lakes and its captivating caves. While locals boast that its extraordinary features make it a “unique” wonder of the world, the city is still undiscovered by many. Mount Gambier proudly displays its aboriginal history, which can be unwrapped by visiting the enchanting cave gardens. Nearby, the sinkhole is surrounded by old-style shops, boutiques and delicious eateries.
I visited the stunning destination and attempted to explore as many sites as possible in less than 24 hours. I quickly found out that the city has natural wonders everywhere, with charming homes and supermarkets simply placed around the breathtaking sites which are all free.
Shortly after my arrival, I drove to Blue Lake Holiday Park, where I stayed in a luxury two-bedroom apartment, situated directly opposite the Blue Lake itself. Prices for this accomdation start from £127.84 per night. However, cheaper options such as staying in cabins range from £98.74.
It was around 6pm, and I had decided to make a quick stop at one of the highest viewing points to get another glimpse at the surreal scenery, which is also the city’s water reserve. At this time, it had more of a darker tone to it, but it was only a matter of time before it would completely change to a cobalt blue. I got talking to a lovely couple who had parked their car next to mine. “It is lovely, the Blue Lake changes colour from November and it goes back to being grey just after Easter every year,” they said.
“The Umpherston sinkhole is absolutely magnificent. And then we’ve got Engelbrecht Cave where the divers come and swim from the cave to the town. Everything in this area is natural. We don’t have a lot of manmade attractions.”
The lovely couple were much like everyone else I had met in South Australia so far. They were kind and wrote down a list of spots that I could visit on a piece of paper. The next morning, I headed into the centre of the city and grabbed a bite to eat in Presto Eatery, opting for their big breakfast for £15.67. The food was divine and so was their iced latte with ice cream, priced at £3.92.
After completely clearing my plate, and walking out with a sweet treat in tow, I decided to stroll around the centre of the city. Its buildings, which included the old Town Hall that was erected in 1882, reminded me of the suburban town, Oakey Oaks, from on the movie Chicken Little. Minutes into my walk, I stumbled across the sign for Cave Gardens, which was accompanied by colourful flowers and palm trees.
As I took a closer look, I was transported into this magical world, with birds tweeting and concrete steps spiraling closer and closer toward the sinkhole. You could view the depths of the black hole from every corner, as the gardens had multiple platforms to stand on. The platforms were sectioned off with white wooden fences, which further enhanced the fairy-tale gardens.
It was time to move on to my next stop. As I headed towards the next attraction, as recommended by the sweet couple, the colour of the lake changed. Blue Lake had switched to a much more intense turquoise in just a matter of minutes. While drinking it all in, I had my second friendly traveller encounter of the day with fellow lake gazer Stan, a 22-year-old, who is from the Netherlands. We drove together to a spot that is the talk of the town.
Located between two dormant volcanoes, this is the place to go for adrenaline junkies. It’s one of those swimming spots that you’d see in the American movies, where the teenagers would travel to for Spring Break. Luckily, I took the advice from several locals who told me to get there before the school bells went off at 3pm.
Some older teens were laughing and joking under the trees, while others basked in the sweltering 40C heat, with beach towels placed along the slightly uneven slopes. The water-filled sinkhole has stairs that lead to a floating pontoon, but the experienced swimmers braved the nail-biting cliff jumps instead. The green lake, which has a diameter of around 40 meters, sees the cliffs measuring around 8 metres above water level. The maximum depth is about 47 metres.
By this point, the closeness of the community was shining through even more. All the locals, including kids and adults, cheered every individual on as they jumped from different points. Other people like Stan waited at the bottom to reassure people like me that the leap would be ok. Mustering up the bravery to do so was well worth it, the water was cool and refreshing.
Knowing that I had to make a road trip in the late afternoon, I forced myself to get out of the water and decided whether I had time to visit one last spot called Mount Schnack. The dormant volcano is 100m high, giving the impression of towering over the carpark.
As I made my way up the walking path, which consisted of fixed wooden logs, I glanced to my left and right to check for any sort of species that could jump out of the dry bushland. It’s no secret that Australia is home to some of the most daring animals, but thankfully none of them decided to leap out at me.
The top soon neared and when I picked my head up I was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the natural landscape. Mount Schnack, the place where the cliffs and hills meet the coastline. You could see it all. I have never witnessed a backdrop like it. Although at this point of the day I was incredibly tired, I didn’t want to sit on the wooden benches, but instead, I stood proudly at the top as I investigated the cone-shaped dip from a towering distance.
It was now time for the last part of my trip, a drive to the Coonawarra. Wine anyone? I was staying nearby in Penola, which is a big country-like town which feels like you’ve been transported back in time to the 1850s, which is when the town was founded. Everyone I went past was smiling and unlike many parts of England, the shops closed at a reasonable time to relieve workers. I already had a good feeling about my latest accommodation as Garry who greeted me at Budget Rent cars back in Mount Gambier, had told me about the owners.
As I pulled into my accommodation, I was greeted by the lovely owner, Kerry Meares, who had given me the keys to my new home for the next two nights. Her warm smile was comforting, especially as this was my first time being a solo traveller.
The accommodation reminded me of a retro-suburban style home but with modern amenities and fixtures. It just so happened that Kerry and her husband, Simon, also own a tour company called Coonawarra Experiences – they sell tour and accomodation packages together, starting from one day and two nights from £450.34 per couple.
At 9am the next morning, I met Simon outside of my apartment for a private adventure called the Caves, Cabernet and Kangaroos tour, priced at £185.56. The tour began with a scenic 30-minute drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Naracoorte Caves
On the way, Simon pointed to a section of bushland which had recovered and survived from ravishing wildfires. Surrounding the remains of the disorder were plants and trees regrowing in the ashes. I had entered a community of resilience, kindness and strength. After a quick photo stop, we visited the Victoria Fossil Cave, which featured the fascinating history of the marsupial lion and giant kangaroos.
The special tour also included the chance to eat locally sourced produce at Ottelia and a private wine tasting at Wynns Coonawarra. Being a big gin fan, I was glad to hear that we’d also be doing a tasting at Parker Coonawarra. But my favourite part was feeding rescued kangaroos at a private sanctuary.
Owner Kerry told The Mirror: “The great thing about the limestone coast is when we started doing wine tours there was a ripple effect. We found natural wonders, the sinkholes, the aboriginal tours, the farm tours, the kangaroos. This place is incredible and everything is about a maximum of an hour away.”
Book it
If you are looking to fly in comfort, Qatar Airways are offering return economy flights from London Gatwick to Adelaide starting from £1,027, in March. You can get a return flight from Adelaide to Mount Gambier with Rex – starting at £111.87. Fares are subject to change and availability.
For more information on travelling to South Australia click here.
