Limestone Coast (Adelaide to Mt Gambier) 6-Day Road Trip + FREE Map

The Limestone Coast is one of our favourite parts of South Australia, right up there with the Eyre Peninsula!

Mount Gambier’s sinkholes were the highlight for us (snorkelling Kilsby Sinkhole was so sick), but the Coorong and Robe are worth a stop too. Plus it’s 2WD friendly and SO easy to do from Adelaide.

So this is the itinerary we’d do if we had 6 days. It’s a loop from Adelaide, with 2 full days in Mount Gambier (it really deserves them).

Day 1: Adelaide > Robe via the Coorong

• Distance: ~345km
• Drive time: ~4 hrs

Leave Adelaide early and take the Princes Highway. If you need to, fill up in Meningie, it’s the last decent-sized town until Kingston SE!

Coorong National Park

From Meningie, the highway runs right along the Coorong, a long string of saltwater lagoons cut off from the ocean by sand dunes. It’s pretty cool, and most of it is doable in a 2WD.

Some stops on the way down:

• Jack Point, a short, flat dune walk to a deck facing the pelican breeding islands. Bring binoculars!

• Salt Creek, for the old oil rig monument and the easy Ngrugie Ngoppun Walk down to the lagoon. No fuel or shops here, though.

• The Granites, big boulders right on the beach, ~20km before Kingston SE. It’s quite cool, and sheltered enough for a swim.

If you’re keen on beach driving, check the park alerts before you go. They close the access every year in some sections due to nesting season.

Want to spend longer there? Here are the best things to do in Salt Creek!

Kingston SE

This laid-back fishing town is all about lobster. You can’t miss Larry, the 17m Big Lobster, at the entrance to town.

Then head down to the foreshore for the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse.

It used to stand on a reef 8 km out to sea, and it was moved here piece by piece. You can climb up to the lantern room for views over the bay!

You could spend the night in Cape Jaffa (here’s a cool stay there) or continue the ~40 minute drive to Robe, where we recommend spend the night.

Where to stay in Robe?

Robe Holiday Park is great value for money and a bit secluded, so you feel really close to nature!

If you’d rather stay close to the beach, check out Sea Vu Caravan Park. Hotels are a bit average there though, so if you’d rather stay in one, we’d recommend checking in AirBnb.

Day 2: Robe > Beachport > Mount Gambier

• Distance: ~135km
• Drive time: ~1.5 hrs

Spend the morning exploring Robe before heading south, it’s a short drive today!

Robe

Robe is really nice. It’s a small historic seaside town with cliff walks and a long beach you can drive on.

Here are some things we suggest doing today:

• Robe Coastal Walk, an easy 12km walk (we recommend doing a section) along the cliffs from the lighthouse, past Doorway Rock, and the Obelisk. Here’s the full trail

• Long Beach, 12-17km of sand you can drive on. 2WDs can get on from the 2nd ramp when the sand’s firm!

• Little Dip Conservation Park, just south of town, for an easy loop walk around Freshwater Lake (the coastal track is 4WD only)

Beachport & the Pool of Siloam

About 40 mins south, Beachport is a quiet little town with the 2nd longest jetty in SA. It’s a really popular fishing spot, so bring a rod if you’re keen!

Right on the edge of town is the Pool of Siloam, a salt lake so salty you float without even trying. It’s calm and sheltered, so it’s great for kids too.

The shower at the salt lake only runs in summer, so bring some fresh water to rinse off the salt if you’re there in the cooler months.

Then it’s ~1 hr to Mount Gambier! If possible, watch the sunset at the Blue Lake lookout – the reflections of the sky over the lake are stunning.

Where to stay in Mount Gambier?

You’ll be here for 3 nights, so pick a good base! Here are some recommendations.

For hotels, we’d go with the Mount Gambier Hotel or The Commodore. And if you’re in a caravan or camping, head to Blue Lake Holiday Park.

You can also stay at Kilsby Sinkhole. We loved snorkelling it and the place looks really cool, but we reckon it’s not for everyone, as it’s out on a working farm ~15 mins from town.

Days 3-4: Mount Gambier

• Distance: ~120km over the 2 days
• Drive time: ~2 hrs total

Mount Gambier is one of our favourite spots in all of South Australia, so take your time here!

Split it into 2 days. Spend one on the snorkelling spots south of town (Ewens Ponds, Kilsby Sinkhole and Little Blue Lake), and the other on the sinkholes, lakes and caves in town.

Just make sure to pack a full-length wetsuit and your own snorkel gear, the water’s cold year-round!

Ewens Ponds

This was epic! It’s a a series of interconnected sinkholes and freshwater springs, where you can drift from one end to the other.

It’s the clearest water ever, it was like swimming in a glass of water! And keep an eye out for turtles and yabbies as you float through.

It’s ~30 mins from town, and it’s snorkelling only, no general swimming. Plan for your slot to take about an hour.

Some tips before going:

• Book your permit online before you go, you can’t buy one on site

• There’s nothing to hire, so bring your own gear

• It closes every year from 1 September to 30 November

Kilsby Sinkhole

This is a crystal-clear sinkhole on a working farm, ~15 mins from town.

We snorkelled there and a bit of free diving, it was incredible! It’s such a unique experience, we highly recommend it.

You can only swim there with a pre-booked session, which is about 2 hours long and the gear’s included.

If you don’t want to get wet, there’s a 1-hour tour down to the pontoon at water level which looks fun. You can also try the gin they make on site with water from the same aquifer!

You can also stay there if you’re keen, go here for rates and availability.

Umpherston Sinkhole

This is one of those underrated gems in all of Australia (in our opinion).

It’s a beautiful garden built by the comminunity! It used to be this big sinkhole and now it’s one of the main attractions of Mt Gambier.

Go around dusk if you can, that’s when the possums come out to feed. You can hand-feed them fruit or veggies, but never meat or processed food.

It’s free and open 24 hours, ~5 mins from the centre of town. Dogs are fine on lead around the rim, but not down in the sinkhole.

Little Blue Lake

Little Blue Lake is a stunning sinkhole right next to the road, and you can go there for a dip.

Lots of people free dive here too, and there’s apparently an old car and stop signs on the bottom for the scuba divers!

It’s deep straight away, with no shallow edges, so it’s for confident swimmers only. Stairs lead down to a floating pontoon, so it’s easy to get in and out.

It’s free and ~15 mins south of town, so pair it with Kilsby or Ewens. The water’s cold even in summer, so wear a wetsuit, and no cliff jumping, it’s not allowed anymore.

Blue Lake / Warwar

The Blue Lake is stunning! Just make sure to go on a good-weather day. It’s at its brightest from November to February, and the colour’s much more vivid in the sun.

There’s a 3.6km loop around the rim you can walk or drive, with lookouts the whole way. The most popular one is the underpass between Blue Lake and Leg of Mutton Lake.

You can’t swim in it, though, it’s the town’s water supply.

Engelbrecht Cave

Engelbrecht Cave is involves a 30-min guided tour into 2 caves right under the city’s streets, down to a crystal-clear cave lake that cave divers swim through.

It was a rubbish dump for decades before locals cleaned it out, so the guides have a few good stories. There are a lot of steps on the way down, so take it slow if your knees don’t love stairs.

It’s open daily from 10am to 3pm (last time we checked). Book ahead online or on site!

Piccaninnie Ponds

We haven’t done this one, but it’s the bigger, deeper version of Ewens Ponds. It’s best known for The Chasm, a sinkhole over 100m deep you can snorkel over.

At the time of writing, it’s closed for snorkelling and diving until further notice, so the vegetation can recover after an algae outbreak.

If it has reopened by your trip, book your permit online and bring a full-length wetsuit, same as Ewens!

The park itself is still open and free. You can walk the trail through the coastal scrub to the ponds’ outlet, then head to the beach to see freshwater springs bubbling up through the sand.

Day 5: Mount Gambier > Coonawarra > Naracoorte

• Distance: ~105km
• Drive time: ~1.25 hrs

Time to head north on the Riddoch Highway, into one of Australia’s best-known red wine regions.

Coonawarra

Coonawarra is one of Australia’s most famous red wine regions, especially for its cabernet. It’s a small strip of red soil only ~20km long, with 25+ cellar doors lined up along one road.

Half a day is plenty to enjoy it, enough for around 4 cellar doors and lunch. And since they’re all so close together, you won’t waste time driving between them.

Someone has to drive, though! So here are some things you can do there:

• Do the easy Coonawarra Wineries Walking Trail, a 5km loop linking 6 cellar doors.

• Book a winery-hopping tour, and they’ll do the driving for you.

Then do the 30-min drive to Naracoorte, so you can explore the caves first thing in the morning before heading back to Adelaide!

Where to stay in Naracoorte?

The local Echo Holiday Park has a great location, and the Naracoorte Hotel is solid if you’d rather stay somewhere more traditional.

If you want to stay as close to the caves as possible, check out Wirreanda campground at the Naracoorte Caves, so you can roll straight into your tour tomorrow.

Day 6: Naracoorte Caves > Bordertown > Adelaide

• Distance: ~385km
• Drive time: ~4.5 hrs

Last day! Do a morning cave tour, then make your way back to Adelaide via the Dukes Highway.

Naracoorte Caves

This is South Australia’s only World Heritage site! The caves are full of fossils of giant marsupials, still sitting where they fell.

Park entry is free, but most caves are tour-only. Here are the main ones:

• Victoria Fossil Cave, 1 hr, the big one with the fossil chamber

• Alexandra Cave, 30 mins, a good short intro with little kids

• Blanche Cave and Bat Tour, 1 hr, seasonal so check if it’s open by the time of your visit

Book your tour online ahead of time, especially in the school holidays.

Bordertown

Bordertown is ~1 hr from the caves and a good spot to break the drive home. Stop at the wildlife park at the edge of town to see the rare white kangaroos through the fence, it’s free!

From there, it’s ~3 hrs back to Adelaide on the Dukes Highway.

Here are two good spots to stretch your legs on the way:

• Coonalpyn, ~1 hr from Bordertown, for SA’s first silo art: a 30m mural of local kids right next to the highway.

• Hahndorf, ~30 mins before Adelaide and just off the freeway, Australia’s oldest German town. Great spot for a late lunch and a walk down Main Street

Planning your Limestone Coast road trip

Best time to go

The Limestone Coast is a year-round trip, but when you go changes what you can actually do.

December to March is our pick. The Blue Lake is at its brightest, Ewens Ponds is open, and it’s warm enough for a swim. It’s the busiest time though, so book ahead!

April to August is quieter and cooler, and the Blue Lake fades to a darker blue. Good for the caves and wineries, less so for the water.

September to November is the one to avoid if you want to snorkel. Ewens Ponds closes for the season, and the Coorong’s ocean beach starts closing for nesting birds from late October.

What to pack

• A full-length wetsuit (4mm or thicker), mask, snorkel and short fins. The water sits around 15°C year-round
• Binoculars for the pelicans and birdlife in the Coorong
• Fresh water to rinse off after the Pool of Siloam
• A warm layer, even in summer the coast gets windy and cool at night
• Offline maps, reception drops out along the Coorong (our SA guide works offline too!)

Top Tips

• Book ahead for Kilsby Sinkhole, Ewens Ponds, Engelbrecht Cave and the Naracoorte Caves tours. None of them take walk-ins (last time we checked)
• There’s no fuel between Meningie and Kingston SE, so fill up before the Coorong
• Travelling with a dog? Plan around the ponds, caves and Kilsby, none of them allow pets
• Watch for kangaroos at dawn and dusk, especially on the Coorong stretch
• Check the National Parks SA alerts before you leave, closures change a lot down here

FAQs