Blue Lake / Warwar Lake

Address: Mount Gambier, South Australia (lookouts accessible year-round)

Website: https://www.mountgambiertourism.com.au

Admission: Free (lookouts and walks); paid tours or visitor centre activities vary

Blue Lake / Warwar is a volcanic crater lake in the city of Mount Gambier in South Australia, officially carrying the dual English and Indigenous name. It is one of the best-known volcanic lakes in the Mount Gambier maar complex and is noted for a seasonal change in water colour.

The lake is famous for a striking seasonal colour change, turning vivid blue in the warmer months and remaining a grey-blue in winter; this colour shift is the primary visitor draw. The crater holds roughly 70 hectares of water and reaches about 72 metres at its deepest, giving steep rim views and clear reflections on calm days.

The lake occupies a volcanic maar formed as part of the Mount Gambier volcanic complex; the maar and its associated crater lakes are products of relatively recent volcanic activity in geological terms. European settlers used the lake as a town water source and it has long been a focus for the Mount Gambier community.

Sited within the urban area of Mount Gambier in the Limestone Coast region of southeastern South Australia, the lake sits adjacent to the town centre. Mount Gambier is located in the state’s south-east, roughly a 4.5 to 5 hour drive southeast of Adelaide.

• Seasonal color change: Most years the lake shifts from a winter grey to bright cobalt blue between November and March, a seasonal and predictable change.
• Size and depth: Reaches roughly 72 metres at its deepest point and covers an area on the order of 70 hectares.

Blue Lake overlooks are a short drive (about 3 km) from Mount Gambier town centre. Mount Gambier is reachable by car on the Princes Highway (A1) or by scheduled flights to Mount Gambier Airport; local buses connect the airport and town. The main viewing platform is accessible on foot from the city centre within 20-30 minutes.

• Go late morning through early afternoon (November-April) to see the lake's brilliant blue - the colour shift usually completes by mid-spring.
• Walk the Crater Rim Walk from Centenary Tower for the best panoramas; the loop is about 4 km and avoids the busier viewing platform.
• Ask at the Mount Gambier Visitor Centre about First Nations placenames: the Boandik name Warwar is often used in interpretive panels and programming.