Mount Gambier, South Australia
Encyclopedia : M : MO : MOU : Mount Gambier, South Australia
- For the South Australian electoral district, see Electoral district of Mount Gambier.
Located in the Lower South East region at , Mount Gambier is approximately four and half hours drive from both Adelaide and Melbourne and presents an ideal stop for travellers between these capital cities.
About
The town's major industries are forestry, trucking and tourism.
Mount Gambier's main draw card is its location upon the slopes of an extinct maar volcano of the same name, comprising several craters. One of these craters contains a vast lake of pure artesian drinking water which changes with the seasons from winter grey to a shimmering azure blue, giving rise to its name the Blue Lake.
Another crater contains a water skiing lake, scenic picnic grounds and a wildlife walk, all facilities free to the public and enjoyed by tourists and locals alike.
Within a half hour drive one can find the wineries of Coonawarra, underground caves, pine plantation tours, shipwreck beaches, excellent river fishing, and spring-fed ponds for scuba diving or snorkelling.
History
Before the arrival of white men, the Buandig people were the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. They called it 'ereng balam' or 'egree belum', meaning 'home of the eagle hawk'.
The peak of Mount Gambier was sighted in 1800 by Lieutenant James Grant from the survey brig, HMS Lady Nelson, and named for Lord James Gambier, Admiral of the Fleet.
The Henty brothers who owned large holdings in Portland, Western Victoria were first to discover the Blue Lake. They returned in 1839 bringing herds of cattle to farm and graze the abundant land. They met spirited resistance from the Buandig, and after five years were forced to retreat when the lands were officially granted to the family of the explorer Charles Sturt. Industries soon began to appear. John Byng built the Mount Gambier Hotel in 1847, and Dr Edward Wehl arrived in 1849 to begin a flour milling operation.
Hastings Cunningham founded "Gambiertown" in 1854 by subdividing a block of 77 acres. Local government appeared in 1863 when Dr Wehl who now owned a substantial millhouse on Commercial Road, was elected chairman of the District Council of Mount Gambier. In December 1864 this became the District Council of Mount Gambier West and, at the same time, a separate District Council of Mount Gambier East was formed.
Incorporation in 1876 saw a further division, with the creation of the Town Council and a Mr. John Watson elected Mayor. Mount Gambier was governed in this fashion until 1932, when the District Council of East and West merged to form a single District Council of Mount Gambier once more.
On 9 December 1954, Mount Gambier was officially declared a city on the assent of the Governor of South Australia. 2004 marked the 50th Anniversary of this declaration.
Government
The City of Mount Gambier consists of a Mayor and ten councillors, five each elected from the East and West wards.
External links
- [South Australia Central]
- [South Australian Tourism Commission]
- [City of Mount Gambier]
- [Terraserver.com satellite image of Mount Gambier]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.