Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park

Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park is a 543 ha protected area in south-eastern South Australia. It adjoins Discovery Bay on South Australia’s Limestone Coast and conserves a wetland fed by freshwater springs in a karst landscape. [http://www.divedoc.net/speleology/cave.asp?cave=8&location=1 Divedoc.net: Piccaninnie Ponds - 5L072] ] It is well-known as a site for cave diving and snorkeling. It is 491 km south-east of Adelaide and 30 km south-east of Mount Gambier. It is close to the border with Victoria.

Piccaninnie Ponds contains three main features of interest to divers. The ‘First Pond’ is an open depression about 10 m deep with a silt floor and much aquatic life, the ‘Chasm’ is a sinkhole with a depth of over 100m, and the ‘Cathedral’ is an enclosed area with limestone formations and a depth of about 35 m. Underwater visibility is excellent and may exceed 40 m. Diving or snorkelling at Piccaninnie Ponds is by permit only.

The park also contains a walking track through coastal woodland to a viewing platform overlooking the wetlands. [Limestone Coast brochure [http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/PARKS_PDFS_LIMESTONE.PDF] ]

ee also

*Ewens Ponds

References

External links

* [http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/PARKS_PDFS_PICC_PONDS_BROCHURE.PDF Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park Diving and Snorkelling Guidelines – PDF download]
* [http://users.picknowl.com.au/~harris/picaninnie.htm Piccaninnie Ponds dive photos]