LIMESTONE COAST
Famed for its red wines, red soils and red rock lobster, the Limestone Coast is located in the middle of the Adelaide to Melbourne touring route. Lush pastures dotted with gum trees, immaculate vineyards, sweeping expanses of coast and parallel pine plantations line the way as you drive among the region's pretty country towns.
Drink the world-beating rich red wines of Coonawarra. Visit the spectacular Naracoorte Caves, where huge fossils have proven the existence of massive prehistoric mammals. Take a hike around Mt Gambier's Blue Lake, renowned for mysteriously turning turquoise every summer. See migratory birds that have flown from as far away as Siberia to rest in the Coorong National Park.
Venture into a subterranean world of stalactites, stalagmites and ancient fossils at the Naracoorte Caves, one of only 14 World Heritage-listed sites in Australia. You can also watch rare southern bent-wing bats at the high-tech Bat Centre, and explore the world of ancient mega fauna at the Wonambi Fossil Centre.
Unearth the classic and the cutting edge at cellar doors throughout the Coonawarra Wine Region, where unique terra rossa soils have helped to create some of the best red wines in the world. Visit in October for the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations: meet the winemakers at the cellar door, taste fine food and wine and soak up the atmosphere. Other great wine regions on the Limestone Coast include Padthaway (with its immaculately-restored 1882 homestead), Mount Gambier, Mount Benson near Robe, and Wrattonbully near Naracoorte.
Celebrate the lives of Blessed Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods, who founded the Sisters of St Joseph in Penola to provide schooling for isolated children. The Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre, housed in their original schoolhouse, shows why Mary is on the way to becoming Australia's first saint.
Dine beachside on takeaway fish and chips or tackle a whole lobster in one of many great pubs and restaurants in seaside towns like Robe, Kingston SE, Port MacDonnell and Beachport. Take to the beaches and jetties to fish, surf and swim. Wander among historic buildings in search of cafes, galleries and shops. Most major towns in the region celebrate their culture and cuisine with annual events: among them are the Port MacDonnell Bayside Festival in January and the Robe Village Fair in November.
Venture through Coorong National Park, declared a Wetland of International Importance in 1975. It's home to the world's largest breeding colony of Australian pelicans and is also a temporary sanctuary for thousands of migratory birds from all around the world. You can hike the 130 kilometre beach linking the park and the Southern Ocean, drive a four-wheel-drive through some areas and visit Camp Coorong on Lake Alexandrina to hear the history of the land through the eyes of the local Ngarrindjeri Aborigines.
Explore Mount Gambier, South Australia's second biggest city and home to the Blue Lake, which turns from grey to a brilliant turquoise every November. The city is built on the slopes of an extinct volcano, and you can also tour limestone caves beneath the city streets and walk through stunning gardens created inside sinkholes.
