Mount Gambier

Mount Gambier, on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, offers a distinctive mountain biking experience built around the city’s extinct volcanic landscape. The main riding area is the Crater Lakes precinct, where trails weave around the volcanic craters, Valley Lake and the slopes below Centenary Tower. The official Mount Gambier Crater Lakes Trail is approximately 4.2 km, combining cycling and shared-use sections with narrow trail, climbing and spectacular viewpoints across the crater lakes and surrounding countryside. Riders can start from several locations including Mark’s Lookout, Lions Lookout and Potters Point Lookout, making it easy to incorporate the trail into a wider exploration of the Crater Lakes area. Beyond the main Crater Lakes Trail, Mount Gambier has a collection of local MTB singletrack and connecting trails around the surrounding slopes. Expect a mixture of flowing cross-country riding, pine and eucalypt forest, volcanic rock, technical sections and short but punchy climbs and descents rather than a large modern trail-centre network. Local riding includes trails around the Crater Lakes and surrounding areas, with routes such as Blue Gums Ride, Reverse Pines Loop and Wheel Nuts appearing within the wider Mount Gambier MTB network. The real attraction is the setting. Riders can pedal through an extinct volcanic landscape overlooking Blue Lake / Warwar, Valley Lake / Ketla Malpi and the Leg of Mutton Lake crater, with lookouts around the rim providing expansive views across Mount Gambier and, on clear days, towards the Southern Ocean. This makes Mount Gambier a worthwhile MTB stop for riders travelling through the Limestone Coast between Adelaide and Melbourne, particularly when combined with the region’s other cycling and outdoor attractions. RTS Tip: Mount Gambier’s trail network has undergone changes following bushfire damage and rehabilitation work in the Crater Lakes precinct, so check the latest City of Mount Gambier trail information before riding and don’t rely solely on older GPS routes. Stick to currently open and designated cycling trails, and allow some extra time to explore the lookouts around the Crater Lakes — the volcanic scenery is a huge part of what makes riding here different.