The Blue Lake solar lighting project is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to shine the spotlight on key Mount Gambier attractions.
When it comes to Limestone Coast drawcards, nothing eclipses Mount Gambier’s spectacular Blue Lake. The giant volcanic crater is a key tourism hotspot, but it is also a major year-round recreational hub for locals; walkers and joggers utilise the 3.6 kilometre circuit around the rim of the crater by day and by night, regardless of the weather conditions.
Mt Gambier Mayor Andrew Lee said, “It’s a completely free attraction, yet its value to the region is immense – and that’s without even taking into account its primary role as the city’s chief water supply.”
City of Mount Gambier operational services director Daryl Sexton said lighting at the site was long overdue from both a safety and functionality perspective.
“We wanted to improve night-time security and provide safer pedestrian environments, but also increase the enjoyment of this significant public space by opening it up to more effective twilight and night use.”
Solar lighting was the logical solution given that most of the path does not have direct access to hard-wired electricity. The Blue Lake is located in the Mount Gambier Volcanic Complex State Heritage area and has indigenous and European cultural significance, so the project also required State Heritage approval along with development approval.
Mount Gambier electrician Ben Judd whose company Stuckey Electrical won the tender for the $368,000 project said, “The lights needed to be as unobtrusive as possible, so we selected a split model which has a separate head to the solar panel, which heritage advisors felt looked more like tree branches than the other designs, but it also means that we can angle the lights to shine directly onto the path.”
Almost 100 solar lights now illuminate pedestrian paths, associated car parking and outdoor public gym equipment at the lake.
Victorian manufacturer Leadsun Australia supplied the solar lights, and business development manager, Walter Terella, said the system at the Blue Lake was the largest of its type operating in Australia – and possibly the world – when it was switched on in May 2015.
Meanwhile, Mount Gambier’s Public Library has also recently been converted to solar and the City of Mount Gambier is now considering solar lighting for its Civic Centre, council depot and Visitor Information Centre.
