Bordertown: Art, Gold Route and Nature

Bordertown offers a range of ways to shape your stay: art and local history are joined by green spaces in town and a wetland nearby. You can decide whether to focus on discovering galleries, learning about the history of the Gold Route or making time for the surrounding landscape. These different themes give you a practical starting point for your search for a holiday rental in Bordertown.

Art with a regional connection

The Walkway Gallery supports local artists and arts organisations from Tatiara and the Limestone Coast. Visitors can discover important works by established artists there. For those interested in culture, part of the gallery’s appeal is that it showcases both local artistic work and works by established artists.

The Bob Hawke Gallery honours Bordertown as the birthplace of Robert J Hawke. Its collection includes photographs, newspaper clippings, cartoons, paintings and memorabilia. The range of formats makes the collection a varied way to explore this tribute: it is not limited to just one type of object. Together with the Walkway Gallery, it creates a cultural focus in which both art and a person connected with Bordertown play a part.

Gold escorts and the history of the route

Bordertown’s history is connected with the gold escorts that travelled from the Victorian goldfields to Adelaide. Granite markers and commemorative plaques along the Gold Route honour this historical connection. If you are interested in history, you can explore the gold escorts as a separate focus alongside the galleries.

These two cultural themes offer different points of interest: the galleries focus on art, collections and recognition, while the Gold Route reflects the history of the gold escorts to Adelaide. When planning your visit, you can decide which one you would like to give more time to, rather than treating them as the same experience.

A picnic in the park or a nearby wetland

At Tolmer Park, visitors can picnic among old river red gums. It is one way to discover Bordertown’s greener side and add a quieter break to your day. The trees are part of what gives this park visit its character; if you are planning a picnic, it is a good idea to check the conditions before your visit.

Poocher Swamp Game Reserve, 13 kilometres west of Bordertown, offers a different kind of landscape. It is a wetland with wildlife, birds and mature river red gums. The difference between the two places can help you plan your trip: Tolmer Park is in Bordertown and offers the picnic experience described above, while the wetland lies west of town. This lets you decide whether you are more interested in a stop in town or in exploring the nearby landscape as well.

Distances and choice of base

Bordertown is on the Dukes Highway, 280 kilometres from Adelaide and 450 kilometres from Melbourne. These distances provide a guide when planning your trip from either city. Together with the location of Poocher Swamp Game Reserve, 13 kilometres to the west, they help you work out which of the interests mentioned are in town and which involve the surrounding area.

When looking for a holiday rental, you can start by considering what you would like your stay to focus on: the two galleries and local history, or the wetland west of Bordertown as well. If you are planning around different interests, you can treat art, Gold Route history and the landscape as separate highlights.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Willalooka, Kongal, Keith.

Go to the regional travel overview: District Council of Tatiara.