Blogs from Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia, Oceania

The weather report predicts a high of 28 degrees, so we don shorts and factor in some beach time. But it’s actually quite windy and as soon as we’re suitably far enough away from the car, it starts raining. I was already grumpy as I’ve discovered we left my favourite trainers in Warrnambool and the rain doesn’t help my mood. But I cheer up when I remember my trainers were made in Vietnam so I can buy new ones in Hanoi next week. In Cape Bridgewater we follow the walkway along the cliff tops to the petrified forest. It’s not really a forest but tubular limestone formations. They’re quite unusual – it feels like we have been been teleported to another planet. There’s also a blowhole lookout but the tide isn’t sufficiently high so it’s more ... read more

Sunday 15 November continued We rested for the afternoon and went out for our dinner at 7.30 pm. We headed north and came across a Jamie Oliver Italian restaurant, which was really busy. We tried to get a table but would have had to wait for a while so decided not to bother and moved on. Onwards past all the lovely big buildings and then back into retail territory and restaurants. Pat was hankering for some pasta and fortunately we came across a couple of Italian places either side of a junction. San Giorgio was selected, and straight to a table. Pat chose salmon penne and I had a meat lovers pizza. Another good meal and with drinks was AUS$57. An amble through the shopping centre and back to the room. Monday 16 November Check out ... read more

Hi travel lovers. Continuing with our adventure, we have yet again moved on from Portland across the Vic/South. Aust. border to Mount Gambier. The town is a bit of a surprise as there are plenty of places to visit and things to see, both in town and the surrounding areas/towns. Given this, we have decided to stay three days so that we can take in as much as possible. First up, we visited the limestone sink holes at Umpherston Sinkhole, the Cave Garden and Engelbrecht Cave. All most impressive. From there we decided to check out the three lakes within the city borders. Valley Lake, The Leg of Mutton Lake and the most well known Blue Lake (where Mt. Gambier gets its water). Again, all three of them were impressive in their own right. Today, we ... read more

BALLARAT to MT GAMBIER The next part of our journey had us travelling on a nice sunny day to Mt Gambier for approximatly four hours. Nicci said that the country side reminded her of Scotland. The roads were very narrow and full of pot holes it was a shock that no one including the dog got car sick. A beautiful little town we stopped for lunch was Casterton, known as the birthplace of the Australian working dog, the kelpie. It was in Casterton that we got a travel guide on Mt Gambier. We discover that Mt Gambier had a sinkhole garden and an ultra blue lake that changes blue though out the year. Once we arrived at Mt Gambier we stayed at the showground for $15 another for an unpowered site. The showgrounds camping was found ... read more

April 4th. We travelled a relatively short distanced from Dartmore to the South Australian border and on to Mt Gambier. Our friend Tom Tom kept calling it Mt Gambler. This is a realistic appraisal of Australian Culture, but not the name of an interesting place. Having set up the rigs at the camping ground which is just off the main street, we went walk about, did a little shopping, arranged for 'flu shots tomorrow, booked hair cuts etc. After lunch Marg and I walked up to the Lady Nelson Centre. It is a combination of tourist info and a discovery centre that looks at the history of European settlement and its impact on the local aboriginal people. There is interesting history recorded by Christina Smith and recreated by hologram. The weird (and totally new) sounds of ... read more