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Mt Gambier is located in the far south-eastern corner of South Australia 430kms from Adelaide and 440kms from the Victorian Capital of Melbourne. Mt Gambier is the most populous city outside of the South Australian Capital, being home to 28,000 residents. The city is the major service centre for the Limestone Coast and is renowned for its famous Blue Lake.

Mount Gambier is an oasis of green, lush gardens, grounds and pastures, with a wonderful combination of rainfall and sunshine throughout the year.

The Mount Gambier City Council describes the city as ‘the ideal balance between the vibrant lifestyle of a big city and comforts of a small town,’ the community plan details the city values and various strategic initiatives that will be implemented to ensure ongoing sustainability and prosperity.

Mount Gambier offers a multitude of adventurous outdoor activities; such as, walking trails, cave diving, trekking and exploring opportunities. The Blue Lake turns a cobalt blue in summer, that can be viewed panoramically from the nearby Centenary Tower. The Umpherson Sinkhole contains a lust sunken garden which has to be seen to be believed. The Limestone Coast area is renowned for its fascinating cave sites.  Caves can be explored at the Naracoorte Caves and the Princess Margaret Rose Caves located in Glenelg Victoria

Mount Gambier accommodates for sports enthusiasts through the Borderline Speedway, which regularly hosts local and national racing events. Racing classes consist of formula 500s, V8, v6 sprints, speed cars, dirt karts and sprint cars. The Legend of the Lakes HillClimb is an annual event with the Pines Enduro Off-Road Racing held during the year.

Mount Gambier has two golf courses, with the Mount Gambier Gold Club being one of the most highly ranked golf courses in Australia. This Par 71 course is a golf lover’s paradise which features tree-lined fairways which make some holes more challenging.

For people who are interested in diving there are numerous dive sites that accredited divers can explore. Ewens Ponds, Piccaninnie Ponds, Kisby Sinkhole and Hells Hole to name a few.

The Mount Gambier showgrounds host numerous events all year round. These include exhibitions, open markets, shows in the theatre hall, a fully serviced campground as well as the annual Mount Gambier Show.

You can access Mount Gambier via air travel through Rex direct from Adelaide. There are multiple flights per day which generally take approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. Bus services also run daily, with the driving distance to and from the South Australian Capital being only 5 hours.

Working for the Department for Child Protection in Mount Gambier

The Mount Gambier office employs approximately 48 people.  The Limestone Coast Office covers a covers a large geographical area from Lower Glenelg National Park to North of Bordertown (Tatiara District) and across to Kingston SE (Kingston District). As a member of this team you will work with other professionals to deliver services to assist families who are unable to effectively and safely care for their children, to work towards a safe return to their care and work with children who have entered into the care of the Minister so that their development, stability and security is assured.

Limestone Coast Office is part of a Connected Service Centre comprising of SA Housing Authority, Disability SA and Department for Child Protection (DCP).  The DCP Office is situated at 9 Elizabeth Street, Mount Gambier.  There are excellent cafes, eateries, shops and parks in walking distance.

Although renowned as a popular tourist destination, Mt Gambier is also a great place for families to call home, thanks to its readily available schooling, health and public services.

Schooling, Pre-school and Kindy and Childcare

  • Mount Gambier Children’s Centre
  • Akuna Kindergarten
  • Acacia Kindergarten
  • Mount Gambier North R-7 school
  • Reidy Park Primary School
  • Melaleuca Park Primary School
  • Suttontown Primary School
  • Compton Primary School
  • Mulga Street Primary School
  • Grant High School
  • St Martins Lutheran College
  • Tenison Woods College
  • Mount Gambier High School
  • Gordon Education Centre

Vocational Education & Universities

The University of South Australia and Flinders University both have a Campus situated in Mt Gambier. Tafe SA also has its own facilities located in the city centre.

Employment Prospects in Mount Gambier

Mount Gambier offers employment opportunities in a number of industries. Technicians, trades workers and professionals account for the largest proportion with 14.5% of the total population employed within these industries. Labourers and community/personal service workers make up 13% respectively. Administration, retail and machinery operators are also popular kinds of employment. The unemployment rate in the City of Mount Gambier is 4.86% which is considerably lower than the current national unemployment rate.

Community & Annual Events

Mt. Gambier has many community and annual events throughout the year which reflect the diverse cultural interest of the community. Some of these include:

  • The Mount Gambier Show
  • Blue Lake Fun Run
  • Mount Gambier Christmas Parade
  • Health, Harmony and Happiness Festival
  • Legend of the Lakes Hillclimb
  • Lions National Brass Band Festival
  • Mount Gambier New Year’s Eve Festival
  • Kings Sprint Car Challenge
  • Mount Gambier Autofest
  • Melanoma March Mt Gambier
  • Fringe in Mount Gambier
  • Generations in Jazz
  • Alex Roberts 100 Mile Classic

Parks and Sporting Facilities

Mount Gambier offers reserves, parks, playgrounds and ovals for the community to use and enjoy. Reserves often facilitate playground equipment, picnic tables, BBQs and shelters. These areas provide ample space for active play, including ball sports.

The Mount Gambier Community is very passionate about competitive sport and recreation; it therefore comes as no surprise that the city boasts many various club sporting facilities. These include:

  • Mount Gambier RSL& District Bowling Club
  • Blue Lake Public Golf Club
  • Mount Gambier Tennis Club
  • Mount Gambier Bowls Club
  • Gambier Centrals Soccer Club
  • Mount Gambier & District Cricket Association
  • Mount Gambier Golf Club
  • Apollo Soccer Club
  • Mount Gambier Gun Club
  • Mount Gambier Gymnastics Club
  • Active8 Health and Sport Centre
  • EFM Health Club Mount Gambier
  • Mount Gambier Croquet Club
  • Mt Gambier Veteran and Vintage Car Cub
  • Blue Lake Knights Rugby League Club
  • North Gambier Football Club
  • East Gambier Football Club
  • South Gambier Football Club
  • West Gambier Football Club

The Mount Gambier Aquatic Centre is a great destination for all age groups, providing swimming pools, giant inflatables, a beach volleyball court as well as a wading and toddler’s pool. BBQ and kiosk facilities are also available.

Community Groups & Religious Services

There are various community groups and religious services across Mount Gambier including:

  • Mount Gambier Community RSL
  • Mount Gambier Photography Social Group
  • Mount Gambier Club
  • CRISO Double Helix Science Club Mt Gambier Chapter
  • Scouts Group Mount Gambier
  • Mount Gambier Men’s Shed
  • Liberty Church Mount Gambier
  • Mount Gambier Uniting Church
  • Anglican Church of Mount Gambier
  • Mount Gambier Catholic Parish
  • The Salvation Army

All of your day to day necessities are available locally including Banks, Shopping and Healthcare.

Banks

Most major banks have a branch in town, including NAB, ANZ, Westpac, Commonwealth, Bendigo Bank, BankSA as well as a number of ATM’s

Shopping

Mount Gambier Central and Mount Gambier Marketplace are the two major shopping malls in the city.

Mount Gambier is home to various stores such as:

  • Grocery stores: Woolworths, Coles, Foodland and IGA
  • Retail stores: Target, Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Cheap as Chips, Sip n’ Save, Radio Rentals, Cotton On, Lincraft, Smoke Mart, Telstra,
  • Automotive: Toyota, Hyundai, Ford, MT Wheels, Super Cheat auto, Autobarn, Autopro, Repco, Bridgestone

Health Services for you & Your Family

Mount Gambier and District Health Services are a part of the Lower South East Health Service. Mount Gambier offers a wide range of services utilising both local and visiting practitioners/specialist

The Mount Gambier Hospital and Health Service provide the following services:

  • 24 hour accident and emergency services
  • Aboriginal health services
  • Ambulance and emergency services
  • BreastScreen SA
  • Country health services
  • Dental services
  • Diabetes services
  • Drug and alcohol services
  • Eating disorder service
  • Fertility services
  • Mental Health Services

Housing in Mt Gambier

The median house price in Mt Gambier is $255,000. The weekly median advertised rent in Mt Gambier is $270 per week. This of course is dependent on the size and location of the property.

The Limestone Coast is considered Inner Regional and may attract the following additional incentives for certain roles:

  • Remoteness Area Payment up to $3,000
  • Attraction Difficulty Payment between $3,500 and $5,000
  • Airfare Allowance up to $1,000
  • Travel Leave up to 3 days’ travel leave may be granted per year, non-cumulative for eligible employees to attend personal matters that cannot be attended to in the centre.

Want to Know More about Living and Working In Mount Gambier?

Visit the Lady Nelson Visitor Centre website: www.discovermountgambier.com.au

City of Mount Gambier website: www.mountgambier.sa.gov.au

SA Community website: https://sacommunity.org/

Return to Working with us in Regional SA page to see benefits available in other regions. To see currently available regional opportunities go to the DCP Jobs Board.