Well travelled Aussies will know Mount Gambier as the perfect overnight stop when driving or bussing between Adelaide and Melbourne. This small country town (pop 30,000) is nestled around an extinct volcano containing the famous Blue Lake, which turns a brilliant azure blue 6 months of the year. You can join the scientists in theorising why this happens as you walk around the 3km rim. The more energetic will enjoy the scenic 6-7km walk around the entire volcano crater, which contains a....

A wildlife sanctuary, on what was once a run-down dairy farm. Now houses 100,000 native trees and shrubs, lakes and water courses, a rainforest, as well as kangaroo, wallaby, platypus and possum and countless birds and butterflies, all enclosed in a vermon-proof environment. Each day at dawn and dusk, visitors are taken on a 90 minute guided walk. Also has ensuite tents on site for those who want to stay and experience both ends of the day.