Mount Gambier……………….Days 37 & 38

1 May 2014

Well we have reached Mount Gambier after spending the night in Border Town, which is as close the the South Australian/ Victorian border as possible. It was established in 1852 when a direct route across the 90 mile desert was being planned for gold escorts from the Victorian goldfields to Adelaide.

It is also well known for its WHITE Kangaroos. These are not Albino kangaroos but a genetic strain of the Western Grey kangaroo. In 1980 a big white kangaroo was captured near the SA?NSW border and brought to the wildlife park at Border Town. This kangaroo became the founding father of the white kangaroo colony.

Passing through Naracoorte, the home of the world heritage caves we continued for another 100 kms towards Mount Gambier.

Naracoorte has an agricultural industry of sheep, wheat and cattle but more recently tourism has become a big boost to the area. One of the big attractions are the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves National Park.

We got to Mount Gambier about lunch time so after lunch it was off to have a look around. The owner of the Kalganyi Holiday Park was so welcoming and informative about the area. He issued us with maps of where there are things for us to look at and gave us vouchers for free drinks if we have a meal at the local RSL Club.

We all went our separate ways but all ended up at the Blue Lake. I can now cross off something else off my bucket list. Its a shame it was such a cloudy day, but I will go back if its sunny. The large volcanic crater is right next to the town and provides water to the town. It is one of 4 craters on Mount Gambier. Only two of the craters still have water due to the lowering of the water table. In November the colour of the water changes to a cobalt blue colour, returning to a colder steel blue from March to November.

 

Too many clouds for sunset tonight. We have covered my window with a tarp in case it rains. If it still leaks at least we will know that the water is coming from the roof, not the window.

oooops – it has just started to rain. Fingers crossed I don’t get wet feet tonight.