Mount Gambier

We went to Mount Gambier to see the blue lake and the sunken garden – the only things we had heard about. We had one night there. Well the Blue Lake and the Umpherston Sinkhole were truely amazing, as are the parklands of Valley Lake, and the wonderful old buildings of this city. Well worth a visit.

We were at Mount Gambier on 26 March.

Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia

Getting There

Portland > Port MacDonne ~ 135kms

History

The Boandik people – are the first nations peoples of the Mount Gambier region. Their country includes the coastal area from the south of Robe to the area around the mouth of the Glenelg River at Nelson. The name Bunganditj comes from Bung-an-ditj or “people of the reeds”, reflecting the nature of the original landscape.

Shell middens, rock shelters and burial grounds are scattered throughout the area and several sites have been dated to approximately 9,000 years. Until 5,000 years ago, the Bunganditj lived near sandy beaches and tidal estuaries, consuming large amounts of available shellfish, many of which no longer exist, as the beaches have given way to cliff-top dunes. The wood from sheoaks and other trees was used to produce digging sticks, boomerangs, throwing sticks and other tools. Stone axes and cutting implements were made from Port MacDonnell flint.

Until the invasion of their lands in 1840, the Bunganditj had lived in the region for at least 50,000 years. Europeans introduced diseases and rapidly altered the environment to suit European farming practices. These events caused a rapid decline of the Bunganditj population.

The peak of the dormant Mount Gambier crater was sighted in 1800 by Lieutenant James Grant from the survey brig, HMS Lady Nelson, and named for the Admiral of the Fleet. The Henty brothers, who owned large holdings in Portland, Victoria, laid claim to the land but were forced to retreat when the lands were granted to Evelyn Sturt, the brother of the explorer Charles Sturt. Industries soon began to appear. The Post Office opened on 22 September 1846, John Byng built the Mount Gambier Hotel in 1847, and Dr Edward Wehl arrived in 1849 to begin a flour-milling operation.

Hastings Cunningham founded “Gambierton” in 1854 by subdividing a block of 77 acres (31 ha). From 1861 to 1878 the Post Office was known by this name before reverting to Mount Gambier. Local government appeared in 1863 when Dr Wehl, who now owned a substantial millhouse on Commercial Road, was elected chairman of the District Council of Mount Gambier. In December 1864 this became the District Council of Mount Gambier West and, at the same time, a separate District Council of Mount Gambier East was formed.

Incorporation in 1876 saw a further division, with the creation of the Town Council.

Mount Gambier was governed in this fashion until 1932, when the District Council of East and West merged to again form a single District Council of Mount Gambier. On 9 December 1954, Mount Gambier was officially declared a city, and is now an important tourism centre in south-east South Australia.

Today Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia with an estimated 29,000 people.

Mount Gambier’s urban area is located mainly along the northern slopes and plain of a maar volcano of the same name, Mount Gambier. Comprising several craters, it is part of the Newer Volcanics Province complex of volcanoes. One of these contains a huge lake of high-quality artesian drinking water which changes colour with the seasons. In winter it is a steel grey, and then changes to a spectacular cobalt blue in the summer, giving rise to its name, Blue Lake.

Sat 23 Mar – To and at Mount Gambier

It was a really nice drive – lots of farmlands and forests, and nice small towns, on a pretty good road. But the harvested forest area looks pretty ugly.

We crossed a river near Nelson which had many house boats lined along the bank.

We then crossed into South Australia.

We had decided to go into Port MacDonnell to have a look and could see the ocean as we headed into town. We stopped at the surf beach at the edge of the town. A rocky beach, it seems to be a rock shelf with shallow waters, but the wind was strong and cold so we did not linger.

There are lots of rock formations sticking up out of the ocean, but nowhere to stop with Mobi on the back to have a proper look. Rocks sticking up everywhere.

Three penguins welcomed us to town (there is a penguins colony nearby), then we went to the main beach area. It is very open with a rocky beach. There is also a massive hotel on the corner. No signs anywhere for the penguin colony though.

The drive north to Mount Gambier was through rolling farmlands and forests – a pleasant drive.

Our van park, the Pine Country CP, was located just before the Blue Lake on the south side of town. The receptionist provided lots of information on the places to go and see – we were only there one night. The park is well laid out so that all sites are drive through – each site is angled between 2 roads and long enough to fit van and vehicle toe to tail. The cost was $36 a night. The park facilities are very clean but a tad dated, and seem too few for the size of park. The owner had only been there 5 months and is gradually making improvements. The camp kitchen is good. We got both Optus (our 4G modem plus my phone) and Telstra (Kerry’s phone).

After a quick set up we went to the nearby Blue Lake – it is amazingly blue and looks lovely, especially with the old pump house at the side. The colour is quite spectacular and the old pump house looks quite a beautiful building.

We drove around the Lake to get other persepctives.

There is a raised stone walkway at the narrow part of the road, which apparently was essentially build in 1 day with the help of up to 2,000 volunteers. This was a town working-bee. Amazing community spirit back in the day.

Right next door to the Blue Lake is Valley Lake and a large parkland. We drove around this – lots of small lakes and sinkholes. An amazing place, with some really lovely parklands. The recreational facilities of Mount Gambier seem to be wonderful – so many places for kids to play, lovely spots for picnic, swimming and one of the lakes you can boat and ski on.

We drove through the town to the Umpherston Sinkhole, and were surprised at how big the town is, and some lovely old limestone buildings.

The Umpherston Sinkhole, also known as The Sunken Garden, is a beautiful garden in a sinkhole, right in the middle of town. You get to it by walking through a nice park.

Once an underground limestone cave, a giant crater was formed when the chamber’s roof collapsed many years ago. The topsoil down on the floor forms the perfect environment for the sunken garden. Originally beautified by James Umpherston in around 1886, over time the sinkhole was transformed into a picturesque garden. It is now blanketed with flowers, plants and lush green grass, with hanging vines cascading sown the sides.

We walked down into the sinkhole, along the terraces and behind the hanging vines. Truely unique.

After that we drove around the old quarter of town to see some of the wonderful old buildings that grace the city. The second photo is the foundation stone for the first photo – the presbytery.