The tiny town of Robe on South Australia’s spectacular Limestone Coast is not just a destination for families and footy/netball trips, but it has a fascinating colonial history of endeavour and heartbreak.
We decided to take the second week of the school holidays and head to an AirBnb in Robe based on what friends have suggested to us over the years.
The conversations usually came down to the turquoise waters of Robe and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great and we found the wind to be similar to Ballarat at times, but it didn’t detract from the experience too much.
The main street is small and houses the usual cafes, restaurants and bespoke clothes and gifts. At the eastern end is the only supermarket, Foodland, which was about 100m from where we were staying. It’s well equipped and the staff are surprisingly friendly, after having endured the obligatory impatient tourists in the first week of the holidays.
The permanent population of Robe is 1,500 and swells to 15,000 in peak periods. Like the local residents of Victorian seaside towns who know best, you enter the main street at your own peril during the holidays!
The main walk in Robe is out to The Obelisk, a twelve metre high pyramid shaped object that sits at the entrance to Guichen Bay, the calm setting for the town of Robe.
It was built in 1855 as a ‘day guide’ for ships and could be seen from up to 16km out to sea, perhaps given its likeness to ‘Where’s Wally’.
Unfortunately you can’t get close to The Obelix as the sandstone it sits on is eroding fast and it is only a matter of time before it falls into the ocean.
There are two main swimming spots, the Town Beach and the Long Beach. Both beaches are safe in terms of rips and sharks according to the locals and the water is pristine.
We went for a walk down the Long Beach but after half an hour we hadn’t touch the sides and headed back. 4WD’s are allowed so I would imagine you could easily find a secluded fishing spot in this enormous, isolated piece of coastline.
Robe reminded me of Fremantle and Rottnest Island. Freo for the Norfolk Pines and the architecture and Rottnest for the beaches and nautical history.
If you’re in Robe, pay a visit to the Customs House. It’s tiny but whoever curated it has done a wonderful job in providing artefacts and written history of the town.
Sadly the first people of Robe were the Bungandtj who lived in the region for 30,000 years but found themselves virtually extinct after the 1840’s arrival of the Europeans. They died from disease, removal and conflicts.
Seven ships were lost in the mid 1800’s heading to Robe. Many lives were lost, in what was a combination of bad weather and poor seamanship.
Perhaps the most extraordinary story is that of the 16,500 Chinese who arrived to dig for gold. Robe was the closest they could get in the 1850’s, so began the walk to the Victorian Goldfields, some 400km! A fair effort given there wouldn’t have been a vast selection of athletic footwear to choose from.
Everything about Robe is quality. No litter, barely a blade of grass out of place and houses that are neat as pins. Everything you need is there…but there was one thing.
We left Ballarat on Grand Final Eve intending to watch the ‘granny’ in our BnB. Come Saturday morning we were having breakfast at a local café, when the power stopped.
Apologies came from the owners, then one of the staff must have phoned an emergency number and she screamed, “it (the power) isn’t coming back on until 6pm!”.
I nearly choked on my bacon and egg roll as this, my friends is Grand Final Day. No ordinary day. This for many of us is Xmas Day!
By the time we made it back to the BnB, we were utterly despondent…well I was and Lynda was just consoling me.
Everything was dark in the house and it mirrored my mood. A few hours passed and I had already started up my phone to watch the game knowing that the battery would run out by half time and I would be holed up in my car, ignition on, power connected.
Suddenly the fridge and microwave started. We both turned our synchronised heads towards the plasma and who should appear? Snoop Dog doing his thing. I never thought I’d be so happy to see him.
So for SA Power to estimate 6pm for a restoration of services and for them to fix it just before the first bounce of the AFL Grand Final, means something happened.
I reckon that ‘something’ involved thousands of Crows and Power supporters in their backyards on their BBQ’s phoning SA Power with bomb threats.
Whatever happened I am eternally grateful. A terrific game and a beautiful town.
