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 Aquatic Centre includes a 25-metre lap pool, learn-to-swim pool, warm water program pool, a children’s splash pad and a 50m outdoor pool. In addition, six multi-purpose courts, change rooms and amenities, a gym and allied services provide ample opportunity to participate in sports and recreation.

Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose sport, aquatic and conference facility that opened in November 2022. It is home to the region's basketball team, The Pioneers.

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

Photo: Mount Gambier CIty by drone. Image supplied by the City of Mount Gambier.

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, Aldi, and IGA
  • Retail stores: Target, Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Cheap as Chips, Sip n’ Save, Cotton On, Telstra Shop, Hello World, B&P Travel, and independent shops for a variety of shopping needs
  • Automotive: Toyota, Hyundai, Ford, RAM, Mercedes, Subaru, Kia, MT Wheels, Trident Tyres, Bridgestone, Super Cheap Auto, Autobarn, Autopro, Repco

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 ranges from $383,500 for houses to $269,500 for units The weekly median advertised rent in Mt Gambier is $380 per week for houses and $285 for units. 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.