Mt Gambier

Blue lake

Visited yet another wind farm on the way over to Mt Gambier - it has almost become a joke where we trip off to the wind farms just to exasperate Jack - though Gordon does truly find them amazing - the mere mention of the word will bring sighs and groans from the kids. This was the largest in the southern hemisphere in the paddocks right on the road side, giving you some perspective on how massive the individual structure is, bit freaky driving along and having these giant blade shadows flick over your car.

Mt Gambier is the home to a complex of craters which are old volcanoes now plugged up, several filled with water, the largest of which holds the local water supply and reportedly changes colour due to the killing off in the warmer months of some algae bubbling up from the aquifer which feeds it.

Hard to appreciate its enormity and splendour when icy winds are being driven at you. Quick tour of the 6 craters before popping down to the wildlife park which thankfully was protected in the bottom of a dry crater, in more ways than one. The whole park was surrounded by 3 metre electrified fence - solar powered none the less. Wandered through paddocks of Kangaroos lolling in the sun and chased long neck turtles across the boardwalk. Jack was fascinated by the electric fence but couldn't quite get up the nerve to touch it and thankfully didn't take up his sister's challenge of whizzing on it.

Let Jack burn off some un-electrified energy in the adjacent playground before retreating to the local ship wreck display, which annoyingly had the ship "closed for renovation". Saw a sobering commentary on the demise of the local aboriginal community with excerpts presented from the diaries of a local missionary of the early 1800s, videos of dives into the local craters which are riddled with caves and fossil display from the local limestone quarry. Quite interesting but very frustrating that main advertised attraction not available.