Mount Schank is about 14km from Mount Gambier.  It stands about 160m above the surrounding undulating limestone plains and erupted about 5000 years ago so is older than Mount Gambier.

It also shows evidence of those two volcanic phases.  This small cone on the southern side of the mount was produced in the early phase.

Layer of basalt above the limestone.

Also formed in the early phase was a basaltic lava flow that went to the west – the slight slope in the RHS is the lava flow.

This is small mine on the lava flow.  Also nicely shows those straight roads that you get in Australia.

The later phase produced the main cone which now slightly overlaps the original smaller one.  Mount Schank is different from Mount Gambier in that just the two cones and there is no water at the bottom.  Really steep sided walls on the interior.

A footpath went down into the crater but the 300 odd steps up to the crater edge really shocked my poor knees so we decided not to go down into the crater itself.

Paul suffering from vertigo.

And striding down the cone.

Nice fluffy she-oaks.

This is Ewan Ponds – doesn’t look exciting I know but this water bubbles up through the limestone at the bottom of these ponds.  Found by Mr Ewan after his dog chased a kangaroo into the water!

You can scuba dive but not swim.

Water flows from here through three ponds via Eight Mile Creek to the ocean. 

This is little Blue Lake, about 16km from Mount Gambier.  Another collapsed underground tavern.  The landscape must be riddled in them as we saw several other holes fenced off. 

The rolling nature of this karst (limestone) scenery as the exposed limestone is being selectively eroded away.

Port MacDonnell is supposed to be the rock lobster capital of Australia.  We found a small café open but nothing else.  Lots of big boats anchored out in the harbour.  The limestone in this area are more than 300m thick.

A pointing Paul.