Mount Gambier volcanic lakes loop
Blue Lake, sinkholes and the city built on a volcano
The plan
Few Australian cities are as geologically odd as Mount Gambier. It grew up around a cluster of volcanic craters, and the limestone beneath it is riddled with caves and sinkholes that fill with astonishingly clear water.
This loop links the headline crater lakes with the sunken gardens and caves hidden in plain sight around town, then runs south to the textbook volcanic cone of Mount Schank and the spring-fed ponds near the coast. Spread over a weekend, it leaves time for the wildlife park at Valley Lake and a swim in the clear water at Ewens Ponds.
How to use it
Do the crater rim walk early when the Blue Lake's colour is sharpest, and check seasonal access and permits for the ponds before you set out.
Day 1
4 stops-
1Mount Gambier
Blue Lake
Start at the Blue Lake, brilliant cobalt through the warmer months.
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2Mount Gambier
Crater Lakes Walk
Walk the crater rims for the best lookouts over the lakes.
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3
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4Mount Gambier
Umpherston Sinkhole
Descend into the floodlit sunken garden of the Umpherston Sinkhole.
Day 2
4 stops-
1
-
2
-
3
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4Eight Mile Creek
Ewens Ponds Conservation Park
Finish drifting the crystal-clear spring water at Ewens Ponds.
On the map
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Image credits
- Mount Gambier (AU), Blue Lake -- 2019 -- 0697-704.jpg by Dietmar Rabich , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons