Fuel Up At The Best Mount Gambier Cafes

Fuel your body at Mount Gambier’s best cafes before taking in the stunning scenery and history around you.

Located halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide, it is one of Australia’s must-see gems, though it may not always get the attention and recognition it deserves. South Australia’s Mount Gambier, found on the breathtaking Limestone Coast, is nestled on the slopes of a dormant volcano and is also home to the aptly named Blue Lake which occupies one of the craters of the maar volcano.

If you’re planning a road trip or a getaway to this picturesque location with its stunning natural sinkholes, lush greenery, and mesmerising caves, there’ll be plenty of hikes and history to take in – but first, most importantly, it’ll be imperative to fuel up for a day exploring.

Luckily Mount Gambier boasts many high-quality cafes with delicious coffee and mouth-watering breakfast options, and we’ve rounded up a selection of the best.

1. Bricks & Mortar Coffee Co.

Coffee aficionados need to head straight to Bricks & Mortar Coffee Co. upon rising. This speciality roaster boasts its own brew bar where you can witness their coffee and brewing techniques. Sit down with a cup of coffee (roasted in-house, of course) or take your coffee to-go and stroll around Vansittart Park across the road.

Address: 2A/4 Wehl St N, Mount Gambier

2. Metro Cafe

With a huge range of cakes, pastries, baked goods, and savoury dishes, it’s easy to see why Metro is a hit amongst locals and tourists alike . Plus, they cater for all, with a great range of gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options for those with intolerances. Treat yourself to the mouth-watering fluffy pancakes with your morning coffee and start the day with a spring in your step.

a close-up photo of food at Metro Cafe in Mount Gambier — Go and grab a hearty brunch at Metro Cafe.

Address: 15 Commercial St, Mount Gambier

3. Bay Blue Espresso Bar

With the charm of a cosy inner-city coffee joint, Bay Blue Espresso is just a hop, skip, and jump away from the Blue Lake. While the smell of roasted coffee will entice you in, the house-baked goods are a must-try (and you won’t want to stop at just one freshly baked Cinnamon Scroll!). The staff are friendly, the menu is simple but stacked with high-quality breakfast favourites like bircher muesli and tasty toasties, and the cafe is pet-friendly, so if you’re travelling with your pooch, they’ll also feel right at home.

Address: 45 Bay Rd, Mount Gambier

4. Presto Eatery

This super popular cafe is constantly busy for a reason – the coffee is to die for, and the meals are Instagram-ready. Not big on caffeine? The fresh juices are the perfect accompaniment while you kick back outside and soak in the morning rays.

Presto eatery smashed avo — Take your pick from a delicious meal selection. (Image: Andy Nowell)

The breakfast options will suit everyone’s needs, from delicious big breakfasts to the nourishing porridge option, and if your sweet tooth is activated in the AM, try the cinnamon ‘donut’ French toast – you won’t regret it.

Even when you leave Mount Gambier, you can take a piece of it home with you, with Presto’s coffee beans available to purchase in-store.

Address: 37 Commercial St E, Mount Gambier

5. San Piero Coffee Bar

Attention coffee lovers! This charming cafe boasts some of the region’s best coffee, and they’ve got awards to prove it. San Piero serves up fresh local blends , house-made cacao, and delicious cold drips that will reinvigorate you for the day ahead. Don’t forget to take home a bag of their drinking chocolate, the perfect treat during the cooler months.

Address: 54 Commercial St E, Mount Gambier

6. Cafe Melzar

Tucked away down a quiet little laneway, Cafe Melzar brings some inner-city culture to the area. With excellent coffee that will bring a pep back into your step, fresh juices, and a seasonal menu, this hidden gem will fulfil all your brunch needs. If you’re looking for something sweet, the Banoffee Delight or Apple & Rhubarb Crumble will not disappoint.

a hand slicing a sandwich at Cafe Melzar, Mount Gambier — Get your brunch fix. (Image: Cafe Melzar)

Plant-based friends will love the delicious vegan options like the aptly titled Earth Lovers vegetable medley, consisting of sourdough toast, grilled vegetables, house-made beans, and smashed avo.

Address: 5/7 Englebrecht Ln, Mount Gambier

7. Nalou Kitchen

With its indoor plants and a soothing palette of greens and blues, Nalour Kitchen is a peaceful spot to start your day. If you’re craving the classics, they sling smashed avo, bacon and eggs, and croissants, or if you’re up for something different there’s corn, zucchini, and carrot fritters with smoked salmon, sticky date pancakes, and banana caramel waffles.

Address: 82 Commercial St W, Mount Gambier

8. Mount Gambier Little Saigon Cafe

This lovely little Vietnamese cafe boasts a variety of tasty Viet options as well as traditional breakfast fare. Save this one for a sunny day, as you’ll want to perch up with your coffee and brekkie in the glorious backyard garden setting. Little Saigon also has a great variety of lunch options if you’ve overdone it on the smashed avo, so don’t forget to pick up some fresh rice paper rolls and save them for later.

Address: 34 Sturt St, Mount Gambier

To continue on your food tour of Mount Gambier, make sure to check out our guide to the must-visit Mount Gambier restaurants.

This article was originally written by Carla Grossetti and updated by Tahlia Pritchard and Rachael Thompson

Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour.

In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

“This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”. Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories.

couple walking in cave — You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves.

A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves

Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories).

The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of.

But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.

8 of the best cafes in Mount Gambier to start your day