The town of Port MacDonnell in South Australia carries a few points of distinction including Australia’s Southern Rock Lobster capital, the most southerly town in South Australia, home to the state’s largest lobster fishing fleet and one time home of Australian poet Adam Lyndsay Gordon.

Adding to what the town is known for, I’d include home to an impressive public art trail of limestone sculptures, mosaics and mural art that begins at the northern entrance to town, with The Bay Wave.

This manmade 50 tonne monolith is made of a single piece of limestone, the work of local sculptor Ivo Tadic who created it as part of a community project, which students of the local secondary school also played a role in, sculpting the oversized shells and lobster pot that sit in the foreground of the wave.

Another of Ivo Tadic’s sculptures can be found along the foreshore in town, at the eastern entrance to town, where three larger than life penguins carry some of the elements that life in Port MacDonnell entails, including a surfboard and some bounty from the sea.

Near the penguins you can also see a nine metre tall ships mast, covered in a mosaic story of the town which was another project of Ivo Tadic and the local community.

Driving along the foreshore there’s another sculpture to see, a lobster fisherman with lobster in hand, standing at the start of the town jetty. This life size bronze sculpture was created by sculptors Gille and Marc and represents the history and character of the area.

A little further along the foreshore a large mural covers one full side of the Community Hall, which is located one street back. The mural depicts local history scenes over its full 233 square metres, and was painted by local residents and regional artist Kathy Mabon.

The mural includes a panoramic view of the jetty and coastline as it would have looked 100 years ago, and amongst the people depicted on the wall are the first lighthouse keeper Captain Ben Germein, his assistant, John Dagwell, as well as former residents, many of who were painted by their descendants.

A must do in Port MacDonnell, is the scenic coastal drive, which takes in Cape Northumberland, South Australia’s southernmost tip. Here you can park and walk to see this windswept coast with spectacular limestone cliffs, steep rock stacks and wild crashing waves. It’s obvious to see how the waves have done, and continue to carve this coastline.

While in Port MacDonnell you can also visit the one time home of the poet Adam Lyndsay Gordon which is in the Dingley Dell Conservation Park. Although it’s not open to the public, the cottage built in 1862, and its gardens can be viewed for an interesting look into historic buildings houses of the time. The cottage was bought by Adam Lyndsay Gordon two years after it was built, and he named it Dingley Dell. This became the first house on South Australia’s heritage register.

Port MacDonnell is around 28 kilometres south of Mt Gambier in the south east of South Australia, and it has a caravan park on the foreshore with a walking path that leads into town, and there are a number of designated free camping areas in the area for self-contained vehicles only.

Southern Rock Lobster season runs from October until the end of May.

Enjoy

Glenys

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