Camping in the Limestone Coast

The Limestone Coast was sea floor about two million years ago, and it shows: sinkholes, crater lakes and caves full of fossils. Mount Gambier is a dormant volcano with four crater lakes, and its Blue Lake, 75 metres deep, turns steel-grey in winter and bright cobalt blue in summer. On the coast, the fishing towns of Robe, Beachport and Kingston have calm bays and old lighthouses.

Where is the best place to camp in the Limestone Coast?

The choice is between the seaside towns and Mount Gambier. On the coast, Robe has the most choice, with parks such as Lakeside Tourist Park close to the Town Beach, and for something quieter, Little Dip near Robe is a conservation park camp. Inland, Mount Gambier's parks, including Blue Lake Holiday Park, put you in town near the crater lakes, and Naracoorte has a holiday park as well as a campground right by the caves.

What is there to do in the Limestone Coast with kids?

Naracoorte Caves is South Australia's only World Heritage site, for the fossils found in its caves; the Alexandra Cave tour is about 30 minutes and made for small children, the Victoria Fossil Cave tour runs about an hour to the Fossil Chamber, and there is an adventure playground on site. In Mount Gambier, the Wulanda pool is in town, and Millicent has its swimming lake beside the caravan park. On the coast, Robe's red-and-white Obelisk has marked the bay since 1855, the old Customs House is near the beach, and at Kingston the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse was moved from its reef and rebuilt in town as a museum; the Big Lobster is there too.

• Cape Jaffa Lighthouse - National Trust – Museums and history, Kingston Se. Closest campground: Kingston Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Lady Nelson Visitor and Discovery Centre – Museums and history, Mount Gambier. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park - East, under 1 km
• Robe Customs House - National Trust – Museums and history, Robe. Closest campground: Sea Vu Caravan Park, under 1 km
• The Sheeps Back National Trust Museum – Museums and history, Naracoorte. Closest campground: Big 4 Holiday Park, under 1 km
• Glencoe Woolshed-National Trust – Museums and history, Glencoe. Closest campground: Kalganyi Holiday Park, 21 km
• Mount Gambier RSL War Museum – Museums and history, Mount Gambier. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Beachport Old Wool and Grain Store National Trust Museum – Museums and history, Beachport. Closest campground: Beachport Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Keith 1910 Congregational Church – Museums and history, Keith. Closest campground: Keith Caravan Park, under 1 km
• The Riddoch Arts & Cultural Centre – Museums and history, Mount Gambier. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Wiles Hut – Museums and history, Keith. Closest campground: Keith Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Mount Gambier Courthouse Museum – Museums and history, Mount Gambier. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Kingston National Trust Museum – Museums and history, Kingston Se. Closest campground: Kingston Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Sexton's Cottage – Museums and history, Mount Gambier. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park - East, 1 km
• Keith Early Settler’s Cottage – Museums and history, Keith. Closest campground: Keith Caravan Park, 1 km
• Millicent National Trust Museum – Museums and history, Millicent. Closest campground: Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park, 2 km
• Old Wirrega Council Chambers – Museums and history, Mundulla. Closest campground: Bordertown Caravan Park, 9 km
• Davidson Cottage - National Trust SA – Museums and history, Penola. Closest campground: Coonawarra Bush Holiday Park, 17 km
• Keith Swimming Pool – Swimming, Keith. Closest campground: Keith Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Millicent Swimming Lake – Swimming, Millicent. Closest campground: Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre – Swimming, Mount Gambier. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park, under 1 km

What are the best caves and nature spots on the Limestone Coast?

In Mount Gambier, the Umpherston Sinkhole is a collapsed cave that was planted out as a terraced garden in 1886 and is free to visit, and the Blue Lake lookouts are a short drive from the town parks. About 29 km out, Tantanoola Caves has a wheelchair-accessible show cave with pink and brown formations, and at Beachport there is the Pool of Siloam. Canunda National Park, on the edge of Southend, is Boandik country, where people camped along the coast in summer for at least 10,000 years.

• Engelbrecht Cave – Cave. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park, 2 km
• Umpherston Sinkhole – Cave. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park - East, 2 km
• Alexandra Cave – Cave, Naracoorte Caves National Park. Closest campground: Big 4 Holiday Park, 11 km
• Victoria Fossil Cave – Cave, Naracoorte Caves National Park. Closest campground: Big 4 Holiday Park, 12 km
• Tantanoola Caves – Cave, Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park. Closest campground: Hillview Caravan Park, 16 km
• Blue Lake Lookout – Lookout. Closest campground: Blue Lake Holiday Park, under 1 km
• Pool of Siloam – Swimming spot. Closest campground: Beachport Caravan Park, 2 km
• Cave Garden Sink Hole – Cave. Closest campground: Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park, under 1 km
• Leg of Mutton Lake Lookout – Lookout. Closest campground: Blue Lake Holiday Park, under 1 km
• Marks Lookout Park area – Lookout. Closest campground: Blue Lake Holiday Park, under 1 km
• Hoo Hoo Lookout – Lookout. Closest campground: Blue Lake Holiday Park, under 1 km
• Lions Lookout – Lookout. Closest campground: Blue Lake Holiday Park, under 1 km
• Blue Lake Rotary Lookout – Lookout. Closest campground: Blue Lake Holiday Park, under 1 km

Are there powered sites in the Limestone Coast?

Yes. 7 campgrounds here have powered sites confirmed, including Keith Caravan Park, Discovery Parks and Pine Country Caravan Park. For the rest we are still confirming, so check with the park or holiday park before you book a powered site.

Where are the caves on the Limestone Coast?

Naracoorte Caves are inland near Naracoorte, and Naracoorte has its own campground right by the caves if you want to be on site for an early tour. Tantanoola Caves are about 29 km north-west of Mount Gambier, beside the Princes Highway, and the Umpherston Sinkhole and Engelbrecht Cave are in Mount Gambier itself.

Facts from Wikipedia, "Blue Lake / Warwar" (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikipedia, "Umpherston Sinkhole" (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikipedia, "Limestone Coast" (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikipedia, "Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikipedia, "Canunda National Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0), Naracoorte Caves, "World Heritage tour" and South Australian Tourism Commission, "Robe Obelisk".

Map of campgrounds in the Limestone Coast

22 campgrounds

• Keith Caravan Park — Keith, SA. campfires allowed, caravan sites, drinking water, dump point, pets allowed, picnic tables, powered sites, showers, tent sites, toilets, wifi
• Discovery Parks — Robe, SA. drinking water, dump point, powered sites, toilets, wheelchair accessible, wifi
• Pine Country Caravan Park — Moorak, SA. drinking water, dump point, powered sites, toilets, wheelchair accessible, wifi
• Big 4 Holiday Park — Naracoorte, SA. drinking water, dump point, showers, toilets
• Lakeside Tourist Park — Robe, SA. powered sites, tent sites, wifi
• Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park — Mount Gambier, SA. dump point, powered sites, wifi
• Mt Gambier Central Caravan Park - East — Mount Gambier, SA. dump point, powered sites, wifi
• Southend Bush Camp — Southend, SA. caravan sites, tent sites
• Southend On Sea Tourist Park — Southend, SA. powered sites, wheelchair accessible
• Will's Beach Shack — West Range, SA. caravan sites, tent sites
• Kingston Caravan Park — Kingston Se, SA. wifi
• Beachport Caravan Park — Beachport, SA
• Blue Lake Holiday Park — Mount Gambier, SA
• Bordertown Caravan Park — Bordertown, SA
• Cape Jaffa Caravan Park — Cape Jaffa, SA
• Coonawarra Bush Holiday Park — Comaum, SA
• Hillview Caravan Park — Millicent, SA
• Kalganyi Holiday Park — Mount Gambier, SA
• Little Dip Conservation Park - Long Gully — Nora Creina, SA
• Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park — Millicent, SA
• Sea Vu Caravan Park — Robe, SA
• Southend Foreshore Campground — Southend, SA

Region boundary: ABS ASGS Edition 3 Tourism Regions 2021 (Tourism Research Australia), CC BY 4.0.