Out and about in Mount Gambier.

A few days in Mount Gambier and I have just realised that many of the tourist things that we did were all about holes in the ground.

The area has extinct volcanoes and sink holes with caves filled with water. The 3 examples mentioned in this post are just a sample of these holes in the ground.

The Blue Lake: The Big Hole

This iconic tourist attraction is the result of volcanic action to form a crater that was later filled with water. At the time we visited the lake did not have the bright blue that is seen in the postcards (and also on Google Earth).

Click the panorama photo to enlarge.

For more information on the formation of the crater lake and how it is filled with water click these photos to enlarge.

The Engelbrecht Cave:

This cave is open for guided tours that start at the Cafe at the entrance. Although I did not take the tour it was intriguing to take a quick look. This cave was used as a place for people to dump their rubbish for many years. A community service group coordinated the clean-up and planting of the gardens to make this into a tourist attraction.

The Cave Garden

The township of Mount Gambier formed around a sinkhole in the 1840s. That sinkhole provided fresh water for the cattle and horses, and later a hut built there was used as the police barracks. As the community grew tracks were built down into the sinkhole to allow stock to drink from the water supply in the cave.

The Cave Garden is now a major focus of the aptly named Main Corner. It has a renowned Rose Garden which when in flower would be spectacular. We arrived soon after they had their annual pruning.

Each evening a short movie telling the a story of the Dreaming of the local Boandik people is projected onto the walls of the sinkhole. It tells of  the eruption of the volcanoes and the subsequent filling of the craters with water. This is well worth a visit to get some background information on the significance of the sinkhole and cave.

To check out some more Tourism Information and Attractions in and around Mount Gambier Read the rest of this entry »

Robe To Mount Gambier.

Our journey continued along the Princes Highway from Robe and then onto the Southern Ports Highway past Beachport and into Millicent. There were several places that stood out as potentials for exploring on the return journey.

In Millicent, to refuel, it was great to be greeted by the friendly Service Station staff who commented enviously about our caravan. If I had a dollar for each time someone says that they wished they doing what we are doing we will have secure financial future.

Staff at the Tourist Centre were also friendly and helpful with suggestions for where to eat and directions. It was great to have a place to  park our car and caravan in the spacious  parking area especially for RVs and caravans at the rear of the Tourist Centre.  A short walk down the main street and there were a couple of interesting murals with historic and cultural themes.

Setting Up At Mount Gambier.

We chose the Central Caravan Park at Mount Gambier as our base for the next four nights. It is not the most salubrious park, but it is central to most of the things that we want to do while in the Mount. Many interesting places are within walking distance, and the facilities are fine for a short stay.

Jen’ s Hotel

Lunch on the first full day in the Mount was at Jen’s Hotel, a great old building (the first hotel built in Mount Gambier). It is a magnificent building on the outside and even more spectacular inside. There were stained glass windows, timber panelling, flocked wallpaper, a wide impressive staircase and an old interesting shaped mirror above a fireplace and mantel in the entrance.

 Wandering Around The Main Corner.

The centre of the city has an aptly named building and surrounds called the Main Corner. After lunch we took a short time to walk around to discover what was happening there. The Old Town Hall (part of the Main Corner Complex) is another magnificent building with its clock tower and leadlight room.

Another feature there is the Cave Garden. More about that in another post. Here’s a photo for now.

We visited the Riddoch Gallery to view the Riverton artist Robert Hannaford’s exhibition. A great selection of works from this well known portrait artist and sculptor. It was interesting to read the background to the exhibits displayed.

We were also intrigued to know that the iconic (and delicious) Haigh’s Chocolates have returned to Mount Gambier, with a limited range (including the giant chocolate frogs) in the Art Gallery Foyer. They originally started in the Mount in 1905 before going to the Beehive Corner in Adelaide 10 years later.

We had a quick drive around the Blue Lake, and will have to return in the next day or so, hopefully when the sun is shining to check  just how blue the lake is at this time of year. Lots of things to explore, and well worth more than the 4 days that we can spare on this trip.