Two Days in Mount Gambier

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Mount Gambier is the second largest city in South Australia with a population of around 25000 people. You have all the facilities you need. There is everything from car dealership places to hardware stores and shopping centres. Most of the businesses are located around Commercial Street West and East. I went to Woolworth and got some ice cream, chocolate, a few veggies and some nice steaks for the barbeque. Yes I have the advantage of a fridge at the caravan park.

Mount Gambier has a great brochure with all the things you can see and do. I was quite amazed of Mount Gambier’s sunken garden which is called the Umpherston Sinkhole. How has that happen? The area was once a cave. One day the roof of the cave collapsed and created this huge hole. James Umpherston set up this sunken garden around 1886. I find it absolutely fascinating. I have never seen something like this before. Mount Gambier has a great cave system under the city anyway. You can do a tour through the Engelbrecht Cave. I gave that a miss because I wasn’t allowed to take video footage during the tour.

In the city centre next to the library is the cave garden. Also a beautiful set up. You can walk down and look into the cave from viewing platforms. All the area around is planted with nice flowers. The Cave Garden is known for its beautiful roses. In the winter time there is a water fall as well.

Another famous attraction which I have never seen before is the Blue Lake. That is one of three Crater Lakes of Mount Gambier. I came past the Blue Lake on my way to the caravan park and could not believe it. The colour is so blue, that is amazing. And the lake changes its colour sometimes. The Blue Lake is also the water supply of Mount Gambier. Anther Crater Lake is the Valley Lake with nice parks for recreation around it. That is sort of on the other side of the Blue Lake. I went up to the Centenary Tower where you have a great view over the Crater Lakes and Mount Gambier. The third Crater Lake, the Leg of Mutton Lake is dry in these days.

It was good exercise to cycle up all the hills in Mount Gambier. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and there was some heavy rain as well. That spoiled a bit my footage of the Lakes. But on my last afternoon I got a bit of sunshine and got a few reasonable shots of the city, the gardens and the lakes. I had a good chance to work on my homepage during the evenings. I checked also the weather forecast and most important the wind direction. On Tuesday was southerly wind forecasted, so that was the day for me to cycle north. Why not using these great services? Makes it easier to cycle Australia.

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