Rain finally stopped but still very overcast and cool with risk of further showers. Moving parks today as the one we checked into yesterday (no frills) not at all nice. We have found one closer to town and walking distance to the lakes. Mount Gambier is SE of Adelaide on the Limestone Coast, has a population of 25,000 in town (similar size to Albany) and 7,000 rural. It is smack bang halfway between Adelaide (436kms) and Melbourne (450kms) and 15kms to the Victorian border. Closest beach is a 30 minutes drive at Port McDonnell. It is a town built on the slopes of an extinct volcano with three craters, Blue Lake being the biggest. The town is built atop the Engelbrecht Cave a water filled cave that certified divers frequent. There is a lot to see here and we have lots of exploring to do and have booked in for a week. It is very green here compared to the dry brown areas we have been travelling through and it is so nice to see. Also cooler here averaging low to mid 20s which is a nice relief after the heat we have experienced.
Our first sightseeing was the Umpherston Sinkhole. This was originally a cave formed by the dissolution of the limestone causing the top of the cave to sink to the floor creating terraces and the perfect environment for a sunken garden. It is about 25m in depth and 50m wide. In 1884 James Umpherston set out to create a “pleasant resort in the heat of summer” by constructing terraces, rock walkways and planting ferns, shrubs and trees. There was a lake in the bottom where locals would take their rowboats and have picnics - don’t think it would get that wet any longer. It is very lovely with free bbq facilities and tables and chairs to relax. At night the gardens are floodlit and possums can be seen feeding.
Thanks Karen for all the pictures and wonderful descriptions of your journey. - Dennis
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