MOUNT Gambier has welcomed an influx of tourists with open arms as the summer holiday period continues to surge.
Blue Lake Holiday Park manager Julie Cowley said the park was “almost booked out” with few camping spots remaining.
“It is always pretty busy around this time of the year for us and our numbers are roughly about the same as last year,” Ms Cowley said.
“For us Christmas is a busy time as well as the Easter period.
“Numbers fluctuate throughout the year, we are busy until June and then in July we have school holidays so August is the only month where we are really quiet.”
Ms Cowley said there were plenty of attractions to explore within the South East with an affordable price tag.
“There is so much free stuff to do here in Mount Gambier, how lucky are we?” she said.
“Things on offer include the Blue Lake, Centenary Tower, Umpherston Sinkhole, Engelbrecht Cave and I actually send a lot of people to the railway lands and Valley Lakes conservation areas.”
Ms Cowley said family-friendly facilities remained crucial to attract new guests.
“We have a swimming pool, jumping pillow, tennis courts, playground, games room and lots of kids bring their bikes and scooters as there are plenty of areas for them to play around safely.
“I personally think these holidays are mostly about kids so it is important that we accommodate for them.”
Ms Cowley said the park was servicing between 400 to 500 guests.
“It is definitely a crammed-in period within this Christmas and the new year,” she said.
Adelaide residents Jan and Glenn Smith have been down with their family in Mount Gambier exploring what is on offer.
“We have family that lives down here and they have been planning what we should do,” Ms Smith said.
Mr and Ms Smith have visited the Tantanoola Caves and Umpherston Sinkhole during their stay.
“We are planning to further explore the other sinkholes and attractions within the city,” Ms Smith said.
“While we were at the Umpherston Sinkhole we saw the possums and got chased by them.”
Mr Smith said he had previously been to Mount Gambier to present the Road Awareness Program (RAP) videos to around eight schools within the region.
Ms Jan has also been to Mount Gambier before but her memories were vague.
“It is beautiful here and the town itself is very pretty,” she said.
“We went to the Mount Gambier Visitor Centre today and that made me think we should also go to other areas within the region not just Mount Gambier.
“We will go to the beach around 30 minutes away as that is what has been recommended.”
