Mount Gambier in South Australia has a some AMAZING attractions, some free and some paid. Now we haven’t seen all the good stuff that Mount Gambier and surrounds has to offer but the Umpherston Sinkhole ranks very high on the list of must visit attractions. Mount Gambier is famous across the world for is largest sinkholes and with sinkhole gardens located in the city of Mount Gambier they are sure not to be missed.
About the Sunken Garden of Mount Gambier – Umpherston Sinkhole
The Umpherston Sinkhole garden was made by James Umpherston in 1888, what was formally a limestone cave until the roof collapsed. The sinkhole is in the middle of the botanic gardens. Whilst wandering the Botanical Gardens you will find this is a great spot for a picnic or a snack with huge trees to provide plenty of shade. There is an onsite cafe available to get food and drink.
Its a very short walk down to the sinkhole, access to the bottom is only available via the stairs. However their are viewing platforms from different areas around the top of the garden to capture some great photos.
Many people highly recommend coming at night to see the wildlife and possums who call the tranquil garden their home. We didn’t visit at night however it’s something we must do on our next trip here.
Where to find Umpherston Sinkhole
Travel Jubilee Highway East in Mount Gambier and you will find the signage to the Umpherston Sinkhole. Parking is pretty limited and during peak times it can be quite difficult to get a park close by. The sinkhole is open from dawn until dusk daily and is a free attraction for all.
Why you should visit this spectacular Cave Garden – The Important Sinkhole Facts
This place is just beautiful, tranquil and relaxing. If your looking to update any family photography it’s a wonderful spot visit to get your new family photo! Or if your after some time to chill out, highly recommend coming to just sit in the garden and take in all of natures beauty.
When we visited it was Easter 2018 and School Holidays which meant people overload! We went twice at different times of the day and it was always busy. The local Mount Gambier council is to be congratulated on having such a beautiful garden thats free for everyone and is being consistently maintained.
Other awesome places to visit in Mount Gambier and surrounds
Mount Gambier has some AMAZING tourist attractions to visit, there is so many things to do in Mount Gambier and surrounds. Here are some of the places we visited and there is so much more to this list!
-Mount Schank- A dormant volcanic crater, take the 900 metre trail to the crater rim to check out the amazing coast and countryside.
–Big Blue Lake – Situated in one of the the three extinct volcanic craters. Beautiful all year round, with walking trail available around the top of the crater wall.
–Little Blue Lake – Located South of Mount Gambier, this is one of the many popular water filled sinkholes available for swimming.
–Piccaninnie Ponds – A diving sinkhole for the trained and experienced diver, with crystal clear water.
– Engelbrecht Cave – Underneath Mount Gambier is this unique Cave. Take a guided tour to learn about the underground water system. We did this tour and it was interesting, however we felt it wasn’t value for money.
Where to stay when visiting Mount Gambier
There is ample accomodation in Mount Gambier to suit all budgets. We stayed in our Camper Trailer at the Big 4 Blue Lake Holiday Park as we were on a budget and we wanted to make use of our Camper. After all, thats what we purchased it for!
We love to use booking.com to find all our accomodation options if we are not in our camper trailer. Search all available accomodation here at booking.com
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