Barmera, with its ideal location on the shores of Lake Bonney, is one of South Australia's most popular aquatic playgrounds.
Throughout the year the town comes alive for many festivals and events. The Barmera 5RM Main Street Markets held once a month from February to April and October to December are no exception - you can try and buy local produce, arts and crafts.
Barmera has a range of accommodation including hotel, motels, country club, lakeside caravan parks, a backpacker hostel, bed and breakfast, self-contained cottages and numerous lakeside camping sites.
Barmera was named after the Barmera Aboriginal people that lived on the shores of Lake Bonney. The lake itself was named after Charles Bonney who saw it on the first overland trek from Sydney to Adelaide in 1838.
On and around Lake Bonney
Lake Bonney – full, fun and fantastic. In summer there are boats everywhere. The Yacht Club runs weekly races that are a great spectacle to watch from the shore. Canoeists and other boaters enjoy great fishing and sightseeing on the lake and adjoining wetlands abound with wildlife. It’s a freshwater lake and is popular with water-skiers, windsurfers and jet ski enthusiasts, and has excellent safe swimming areas.
Country Music Hall of Fame
A family-oriented town, Barmera boasts a Country Music Hall of Fame that displays extensive memorabilia. In June of each year the town hosts an important annual country music festival attended by people from all over Australia.
Napper’s Ruins
Located on the north side of Lake Bonney, Napper’s Ruins once stood strong as a hotel built for former workers of Cobdogla Station. It was originally called Lake Bonney Hotel and consisted of 11 rooms that included a well stocked bar and an eating room that could cater for 12 people. The hotel is now nothing more than ruins and includes interpretive information around the site.
Explore the many different river environments, from the floodplain and billabongs to the limestone cliffs on the Overland Corner Walking Trail. This trail explores the European and Aboriginal heritage of the area and features an ochre quarry with fossils.
