A quiet town near the border between Victoria and South Australia, Nelson is a place i recommend to anyone who likes to explore without tourism smashing them in the face. The Glenelg river is majestic and beautiful, as is the beach it empties into. The town of Nelson boasts one pub and not much more. Mt Gambia is close enough a drive to pick up supplies and run away from holiday crowds and back to serenity.
On the way, we stopped for lunch at Kings Bakery in Hamilton and recommend the fresh sandwiches and carrot cake. Always love a cafe that gives you a decent sized pot of tea.
Our choice of accomodation was cabins, there wasn’t really much available to choose from, as we left it a bit late. Casuarina Cabins were clean, well equipped and reasonably priced. The grounds were well kept and the verandah had a table with chairs.
Storage or Sculpture?
Lots of great walks along the river.
From river to ocean. The mouth of the Glenelg river is glorious, don’t
forget to check it out at both high and low tides.
Being so close to Mt Gambier, we couldn’t resist Mount Schank. Overshadowed by its famous neighbour, the Blue Lake, (which wasn’t blue as we were not there at the right time. It is at it’s bluest in the warmer months,) Mount Schank is a dormant and by geological standards is a very young volcano, first erupting between 4500 and 5000 years ago. It is a challenging walk if you don’t have at least a mediocre level of fitness but achievable. It starts off easy. UP UP UP, then down down down to the centre where there is a pile of rocks to write your name.
Then UP UP UP again and if you are still feeling the need for adventure, you can navigate around the rim. I don’t recommend this for people with mobility issues, or fear of heights. At some points it is quite narrow and scary. But very beautiful and you feel pretty damn good after you have done it!
A trip around Mt Gambier isn’t complete without a walk to the Piccaninnie and Ewens Ponds. The water view from the top is not terribly exciting, but the walks are pretty and i envy the divers who are brave enough to go below and explore.
Finally, we cooked meals in our cabin most nights, but booked a Saturday dinner at the Nelson pub. The food was not exactly gourmet, or beautifully presented, but there was a lot of it. Book before you rock up, it is the only place in town where you can sit down and have a feed and a drink. Cheers.
Don’t forget your fishing line!
simplethingstraveller 