Limestone Coast

Destinations -> South Australia -> 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 wines of Coonawarra during the Cellar Dwellers event held throughout July. You'll find a warm welcome at cellar doors throughout the region, where locals are eager to share their vintages and some fine dining.

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. You can experience the best of the region by following the Limestone Coast Wine and Food Trail, avai... 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 wines of Coonawarra during the Cellar Dwellers event held throughout July. You'll find a warm welcome at cellar doors throughout the region, where locals are eager to share their vintages and some fine dining.

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. You can experience the best of the region by following the Limestone Coast Wine and Food Trail, available from visitor information centres across the region.

Naracoorte Cave World Heritage Fossil Site

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.

Wines Known the World Over

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.

Penola's Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre

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.

Flavours of the Limestone Coast

Take your tastebuds on tour with the Limestone Coast Pies and Platters Trail, which will lead you to gourmet pies and regional platters featuring hero ingredients of the Limestone Coast: beef, lamb, duck, rabbit, venison, emu, goat, lobster and barramundi. Grab a brochure and map at visitor information centres throughout the region, or visit in February for the Taste the Limestone Coast Festival in Naracoorte.

Seaside Towns

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.

The Coorong

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.

Visit between September and November each year for the Meet the Waders Festival, celebrating the amazing journey of migratory birds.

Mount Gambier's Blue Lake

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.

Four-Wheel-Drive Exploring

You'll find some of South Australia's best four-wheel-drive routes on the Limestone Coast. There are tough desert tracks in the Ngarket Conservation Parks, or great coastal drives through Canunda and Coorong National Parks and Beachport Conservation Park. Please stick to marked trails and look after the environment.