Continuing our exploration of Mount Gambier, today we visited Centenary Tower. At 192 metres above sea level it is the town’s highest point.
The dolomite tower commemorates the centenary of the sighting and naming of Mounts Schank and Gambier (the first two major place names bestowed in South Australia) by Lieutenant James Grant on December 3, 1800.
It is quite a steep climb from the carpark to the tower, which overlooks Valley Lake and the City of Mount Gambier on one side, with sweeping views of farm land across to the ocean on the other.
More details about the tower and its history are given below. The top photo shows Valley Lake and part of the city, including the derelict old hospital building.
The bottom picture shows the view looking south. This is one of the few parts of Australia which is nearly always green. The sea is visible as a thin blue ribbon on the horizon, about 25km away.
