Heritage

Why Limestone?

For more than 25 million years, the area now known as the Limestone Coast consisted of a series of ancient coastlines submerged beneath the Southern Ocean. During this period, tonnes of marine crustaceans and shells fell to the sea floor and cemented together to form the soft, white porous rock known as limestone. When the sea retreated about one million years ago, nature's chemistry blended the remaining sand dunes and limestone deposits to produce a labyrinth of caves and sinkholes, along with the world renowned soils which are credited with the success of the region's wine and agricultural industries.

Ancient Sites

With six sites of international significance and 14 of national significance, the region also forms part of Australia's most extensive volcanic province, and is the starting point the Volcanoes Discovery Trail. The surprising journey through this amazing landscape takes in some of the region's most well-known features, including Mount Gambier's Blue Lake.

The People

The history of the Limestone Coast stretches back thousands of years. It is recorded in the rich oral histories of the Ngarrindjeri people, and reflected in a network of traditional indigenous sites located throughout the region. The first white settlers did not arrive in the Limestone Coast until after 1840. They promptly took advantage of the fertile country and ideal climate by establishing vast pastoral holdings and stations, followed by communities and townships. Museums throughout the Limestone Coast tell the story of this fascinating past.

Saints and Scribes

Blessed Mary MacKillop remains arguably the region's most famous ever resident, and her tremendous impact on the lives of people in the Limestone Coast continues to this day. Inspired by Father Julian Tenison Woods, Mary opened the first Saint Joseph's School in an old stable in Penola, which served as the launch-pad for the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The fascinating history of this woman who is on her way to becoming Australia's first Saint can be discovered at the Mary MacKillop Interpretative Centre, Penola.

The Limestone Coast has also provided inspiration for a number of well-known writers including lyric poet John Shaw Neilson and balladeer Adam Lindsay Gordon, the only Australian to be interred in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. Their works remain popular to this day, and provide an extraordinary insight into early Limestone Coast life.