Piccaninnie Ponds are 30km south east of Mount Gambier near Nelson. Well known as a site for cave diving and snorkelling, the ponds comprise a wetland fed by freshwater springs.
An open channel runs from the wetland to the ocean.
I took Kathleen, Jim and Maggie there this afternoon. We didn’t go diving, but enjoyed the “ponds outlet” walk of 2.4km.
This trail runs through coastal vegetation and wetlands adjacent to the pond’s outlet into the sea.
The clear water can be seen flowing through the dunes along the beach. The walk then joins a boardwalk to a wetland lookout.
According to the Department for Environment and Heritage: “Piccaninnie Ponds is one of Australia’s most beautiful and spectacular freshwater cave diving and snorkelling spots, with visibility exceeding 40 metres in the crystal water.”
Camping is allowed in the conservation park. Unfortunately the beach appears to be popular with motorsport enthusiasts. The noise is quite out of place, not to mention the potential environmental impact.
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What beautiful pictures, they really illustrate the post. I especially love the beach one!
Piccaninnie Ponds are fantastic. I went snorkelling there a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe how clear the water was.