Naracoorte, South Australia: What are the best things to do?

The best things to do in Naracoorte, South Australia, include the Naracoorte Swimming Lake and the Sheep’s Back Museum. But the top attraction is the Naracoorte Caves National Park.

Naracoorte, South Australia, is a small town in the Limestone Coast region. It’s about 100km north of Mount Gambier and 335km south-east of Adelaide. It’s also home to the only World Heritage site in South Australia.

Things to do in Naracoorte, SA: Naracoorte Caves National Park

The Naracoorte Caves National Park is clearly the main reason to visit Naracoorte, and there are four different caves to visit. Stick-Tomato Cave has the most impressive decorations, Victoria Fossil Cave has the animal fossils that got the site its World Heritage-listing. Tours of Alexandra Cave focus more on the geological processes, and tours of Blanche Cave are all about the bats that live there.

Fossils in the Naracoorte Caves National Park. Photo courtesy of South Australian Tourism Commission/Adam Bruzzone.

But the caves are to the south-east of the town. And things to do in Naracoorte itself include the Naracoorte Swimming Lake and Sheep’s Back Museum.

Things to do in Naracoorte, SA: Naracoorte Swimming Lake

The Naracoorte Swimming Lake is a massive man-made lake – it covers just under a hectare of land and contains around 11 million litres of water. There’s a kids’ section, a lane-swimming section and a diving pontoon. There’s also a sandy man-made beach, plus picnic areas. Your average leisure centre pool is going to look pathetic in comparison. Entry to the Naracoorte Swimming lake is free.

The Sheep’s Back Museum is all about Australia’s wool industry. Displays cover how pioneering pastoralists spread across the country and premium Australian wool was shipped to the big cities and overseas. It also covers life on the sheep stations, and in the shearing sheds. The focus is mainly on the Limestone Coast’s industry, however.

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