Limestone Coast (Part 1)

After de-icing the ute next morning, we drove through undulating farmland, the paddocks lined with ancient pine windbreaks, then vast plantations of eucalypt and pine. At the Victoria-SA border we had to dispose of all our fruit and vegetables at an unmanned quarantine stop, something we were not expecting. Luckily we had minimal supplies on board so not too much was lost, and it was certainly not worth risking the fine if we were caught. We immediately encountered roadworks and it was a relief to be off the atrocious Victorian roads after just over 3,000km of bumping and bouncing along.

Our destination was the city of Mt Gambier where we set ourselves up at the showground. After replenishing the pantry we took a short walk to Umpherston Sinkhole, a volcanic crater filled with terraced and hanging gardens, including hydrangeas still in flower.

Bright and early next morning we set out to drive to the coast, stopping at Mt Schank along the way. The steep climb to the top of the crater included 1,038 limestone steps and the walk up, around and back totalled 2.4km.

Continuing on we arrived at Pt MacDonnell, which officially became a port in 1860 and was second only to Pt Adelaide, shipping wheat and wool around the world. Today it is home to the largest Southern Rock Lobster fleet in Australia. Customs House, built in 1863, combined the Harbour Master’s office, police station and residence, four cells, court house, customs house, post & telegraph office and residence and a teacher’s residence. It now operates as a B&B.

Further west along the coast is Cape Northumberland, the southernmost point in South Australia. The terrain is rugged limestone and it was the site of SA’s first mainland lighthouse, built in 1858. A replacement was built further inland in 1882 after pounding surf eroded the cliff, and it is still operating.

Back in Mt Gambier we visited the replica of HMS Lady Nelson. Her captain, James Grant, sailed past the coast in 1800 and named Cape Northumberland, Mt Schank and Mt Gambier, and in 1900 a centenary tower was built on top of Mt Gambier to commemorate the event. We took the very steep walk up to the tower and had excellent views of the crater lake, Valley Lake from the top. We also visited Blue Lake but alas, it was more green-grey than blue. The colour changes to a vibrant blue over a few days in November and stays that colour throughout the summer.

The Mt Gambier area was founded by pastoralists in 1842 and the town was established as Gambierton in 1854. We took a stroll around the city centre following the city heritage walk, but many of the old limestone buildings were dirty and drear. However the old Town Hall, built in 1882, with the clock tower added the following year, and the Institute, built in 1869 with the upper storey added in 1886, stood out as well preserved buildings. The Cave Garden is a sinkhole with an historic garden flowing deep into it, a green oasis in the centre of the city.