Mount Gambier
Population & climate
Mount Gambier is a city of some 28,000 people, with a further 10,000 in the immediate environs. It lies in south eastern South Australia, equidistant from Adelaide and Melbourne, 25 kilometres from the ocean. It is on the northern edge of an extinct volcano complex, which provides a spectacular back-drop to the city. Within the volcano complex are four picturesque lakes, the largest of which is the famous Blue Lake. Mount Gambier has a temperate climate, averaging 25C in summer and 13C in winter, with 709 mm average annual rainfall.
Industry & education
As the largest city in regional South Australia, Mount Gambier has a wide industry base. This ranges from primary industries, such as softwood timber, livestock, crops and fishing, to manufacturing and transport. Mount Gambier is serviced by public and private hospitals and a variety of medical specialists.
For education, the city offers 3 preschools, 7 primary schools and 3 secondary schools, including public and religion-based schools. Mount Gambier also has a campus of the South East Institute of TAFE, which also offers some courses through the University of South Australia's Whyalla campus.
Transport
Mount Gambier has a domestic airport, from which Rex Airlines operates daily services to many major centres, including Adelaide and Melbourne. There is an intra-city public transport bus network, and a coach service operating to Adelaide and other nearby towns. Mount Gambier lies on the Princes Highway (Hwy 1; known as the Jubilee Highway within the city) between Adelaide and Melbourne; it can also be approached from Penola in the north and the Glenelg Highway (B160) from Hamilton. V/Line has a daily rail service from Melbourne, going via Ballarat.
Entertainment & communication
For entertainment, Mount Gambier offers a host of sporting, recreational and cultural clubs, including an Aquatic Centre. There is also a multiplex cinema and stage performances at the Sir Robert Helpmann theatre. Mount Gambier hosts a variety of annual attractions, such as the Jazz Festival each May, the Mount Gambier Show in October, vintage car rallies and sporting events.
Media
The city is served by a variety of communications. The Border Watch is the local newspaper, a Rural Press publication that comes out four times a week. There are three free-to-air television channels: ABC, WIN (Nine) and Ten, as well as Bushvision, a community TV station. Some areas can receive SBS and Seven as well.
Mount Gambier has access to four ABC radio stations (Classic FM, 104.1 FM; Radio National, 103.3 FM; Triple J, 102.5 FM; and ABC Local Radio, 1476 AM), as well as two commercial stations (Star FM, 96.1 FM, and 5SE, 963 AM). There are also two community stations (Radio Rhema Christian, 104.9 FM, and 5GTR South East Access Community Radio, 100.1 FM).
To learn more about Mount Gambier, visit the City of Mount Gambier website.
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