Mt Gambier – OZ Camper Travels

12th September 2026

Distance: 61 km

Today was a chance to explore the attractions of Mt Gambier. The area was once the bottom of an ocean and the rocks are limestone, these rocks are porous and dissolve into the water flowing through them creating caves. These caves can collapse forming the sinkholes.

Umpherson Sinkhole

First stop of the day was the Umpherson Sinkhole, it was originally a garden made on a property by the landowner. It was, as always, very interesting though a lot of stairs for me.

This was followed up with a trip to the Crater Lakes, two lakes in volcanic craters next to each other.

The Blue Lake

It is very blue and is also the town water supply. Apparently the third biggest water storage in SA.

The Valley Lake & Centenary Tower

Basically on the other side of the road was the Valley Lake. Its is used mainly for boating and skiing so swimming is discouraged.

Overlooking this crater is the Centenary Tower, built in 1900 to celebrate the founding of Mt Gambier a hundred years earlier.

To get to the tower is a steep climb, It seemed to take ages and it was very steep but the view is worth the climb.

Made a quick stop at the Valley Lake after descending.

Engelbrecht Caves

Next stop was a short drive to these caves. We were lucky to find that a tour was about to start so we signed up for it.

The caves were originally used as a rubbish dump and tonnes of rubbish had to be removed to make them usable for tours by the council.

Mount Schank

This extinct volcano is about 13 km south of the town.

We started climbing to the rim but it was obvious to me that I was not going to make it so Katie went on alone. I flew my drone to see if I could see her on the rim.

The flight was cut short by rising wind when the drone complained about the wind.

Little Blue Lake

Final call of the day on the way back to the caravan park was to the Little Blue Lake which is a popular swimming hole for the town. Apparently the water is a constant 12° (cold!).

13th September 2026

Distance: 90 km

Port Macdonnell

A twenty minute drive down to the coast and this port town. It seems to have a fairly large harbour and fishing fleet, nearby is the most southerly point of South Australia.

We spent an enjoyable few hours there including lunch of excellent fish and chips.

Returned to Mt Gambier by a different route along the coast making one stop on the way.

Hells Hole

Stopped at Hells Hole another large sinkhole popular with divers though I have no idea how they get down to the water as it is a long way down from the platform. Under the surface are a series of caves (so I am told).

That evening went to the local RSL club for a meal.

BTW the caravan park at which were staying, right in the centre of Mt Gambier, had recently gained its own sink hole. Because it is on private property no one knows quite what to do about it. Those on council property are usually filled in and covered in concrete.

4th March 2019

Distance :25km
Fuel: 24L

Leisurely start, no rush today everything is in town.

First stop was the Blue Lake… Yes, it really was blue and the steep walls made its volcanic past obvious to anybody. It is the town’s water supply.

Next door is Valley Lake, the remains of two craters that finally exploded, joined and largely filled themselves in forming a smaller shallower lake and a large area of land that has been turned into a recreation park.

Overlooking this area is Centenary Tower which is reached by a very steep walk. It is worth the effort because the views are spectacular. To be honest I thought the tower must have been a bicentennial project but I couldn’t have been more wrong – it was built to celebrate the centenary of the opening up of the region and was completed in 1904.

Next visit was to the Umpherston Sinkhole which, like Cave Gardens, has been turned into a park and gardens. Named after the person who originally owned the land and used it as his own retreat from the heat. It used to have a quite large lake but as the water table has lowered it is now largely dry. There was also a waterfall but unfortunately the mechanism that kept it going is broken.

Had a sandwich lunch and coffee at the local cafe – actually very nice, a big change from that at the Giant Koala..

Next port of call was Engelbrecht Cave yet another but smaller sinkhole but this time privately owned and which leads to a complex of water filled caves and tunnels which are popular with divers. The caves run under the main streets of Mt Gambier. Naturally we only visited the dry bits.

The sinkhole was originally used as a rubbish dump for a distillery and the local butchers, Some quite nasty chemicals were originally dumped down it and cleaning it was quite a task – many hundreds of tonnes of rubbish were removed by hand before the cave could be used.

After dinner at a local Malaysian/Chinese restaurant went to Cave Garden to see the sound and light show which I had been told started a 8.30pm by 8.45 nothing had happened so walked back to the caravan park. The only disappointment of the day.

Am staying an extra day in Mount Gambier to get better weather for the Great Ocean Road though I have to say that I really like Mount Gambier as a town.

Tag: Mt Gambier

Mount Gambier