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Published: January 4th 2014
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Mount Gambier
Sign outside the camp ground to commemorate the visit of the Queen Good drive to Mount Gambier,headed straight for the caravan park we had booked.Our intention is to stay here over the Christmas and New Year.On arrival we were told to find an empty site of our liking no sites are numbered.The park was virtually empty so we were able to choose a good site and soon settled in.The caravan site is right next to the famous Blue lake which changes colour every year round about November to a translucent blue from a green no one can give a reasonable explanation but there are many theories.This lake draws tourists from all Australia and beyond, it is one of many lakes that have formed in the natural volcanic craters that are abundant here.This particular lake supplies the town water and no leisure activities such as boating or fishing are permitted on the lake.Just outside the caravan park is the entrance to a conservation park boasting many walks and water activities,a great place for families to enjoy with bar b q"s and picnic facilities.
In the centre of town is a sink hole which has been turned into a cave garden famous for it's rose gardens and cascading flowers during summer.A great place for
a picnic or just a stroll, the cave garden comes alive at night with a free light show.The information centre is located in a complex named the Lady Nelson and gives an historic account of Mount Gambier. Surrounding Mount Gambier are numerous sink holes and ponds formed by volcanic activity many thousands of years ago. Many of these ponds and sinkholes attract cave divers from all over the world,however only certified cave divers are allowed in some of the more dangerous caves.It is possible to snorkel across some of the ponds but the water is so cold a thick wet suit is a must,we thought about it but common sense prevailed.
Mount Gambier is a great base from which to explore both the coast and inland.We took the opportunity to visit several coastal towns and inland which included Nelson in Victoria,Port MacDonnell,Penola and Naracoorte to name just a few.Nelson is a small fishing town just over the border in Victoria and a pleasant drive through some stunning scenery. Port Macdonald is known as The lobster capitol of South Australia and lives up to it's name with huge catches of Crayfish,Lobster and other seafood landed every day,this is were we
Mount Gambier
Parking and viewing for the Blue Lake bought our first Crayfish for dinner New Years Day. The small town itself is very pretty with an extensive shoreline used by fishermen and swimmers alike.The journey to get there was interesting with an ever changing array of Father Christmas's outside the gates of many of the small farms and houses.
Penola is the birth place of St Mary MacKillip and also the centre for the Coonawarra red wine district, the town also boasts of the towns historical connections with several great Australian poets such as John Nielson,Adam Lindsay and several others. Naracoorte famous for it's caves just outside of town, however we elected not to join the tourist on this occasion but instead headed for the centre of town where we had a drink in Billy Macs pub!
There are a few walks direct from the camp site which we took advantage of, in particular we walked around the bottom of a crater known as the Leg of Mutton named so for it's shape around the bottom,Jackie also walked the rim of the Blue lake.
Christmas day was spent having breakfast at the camp site followed by a picnic of Prawns and salad at Valley lakes
conservation park were we were entertained by water skiers and knee boarders,the weather was perfect. Dinner was spent at the camp site and consisted of traditional turkey and salad. New years day was a treat with us having our first crayfish not be mistaken for a lobster.
New years eve was memorable,a member of the camp site staff came around to tell us that a high wind warning had been issued for this area and this at 11/40 pm so we made haste as much as we could to take the awning down and secure the tables and chairs, never the less we let the new year in with our usual enthusiasm and toasted the beginning of a new year with our fellow travelers.So happy new year to all our friends and readers of our blogg,looking forward to the coming year.
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Alan
non-member comment
Happy New Year
Hi guys, Looks like you had a fab although alternative Christmas/New year. Some great pics as always! Not sure of the difference between a crayfish and lobster- will have to check that out. You should be writing for the tourist Board! Very full descriptions of the places that you have visited. Hope the weather continues to hold up for you and have a great 2014! We had a different Christmas Day