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South Australia (Southeast Region) |
| Robe | |
| ROBE,
on the south side of Guichen Bay 44km from Kingston, was one of South
Australia’s first settlements, established as a deep-water port in 1847. It was discovered
by French explorer Baudin in 1802. He must
have been impressed at what he saw - in one direction, clean gently
sloping beaches stretching as far as the eye can see in the other, rocky
cliffs and impressive natural landforms. After 1857, over sixteen thousand
Chinese landed here and walked to the goldfields, 400km or so away, to
avoid the poll tax levied in Victoria of 10 pounds a head.
As trade declined and the highway bypassed town, Robe managed to maintain both dignity and charm, and during the busy summer period the population of less than eight hundred expands to over eleven thousand. |
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historic port of Robe is today a holiday-makers' mecca. The
port of Robe is an old town, with streets of heritage cottages and public
buildings, and loads of character. Long Beach qualifies as one of
the country's most under-rated beaches for swimming and surfing. You can
drive your car onto the beach and find your own private spot along its
seventeen kilometres.
Adelaidians love the place, with its well-preserved nineteenth-century streetscapes, and its beach setting surrounded by lakes and bushland; some even drive the 366km for a weekend. Summer is also the season for crayfishing, Robe’s second substantial industry. It’s all deliberately low-key: the main thoroughfare of Victoria Street is tree-lined and semi-residential, the shops blending unobtrusively with the houses. Tourist information is inside the library on the corner of Smiley and Victoria streets (Mon–Fri 10am–12.30pm & 1–5pm, Sat 8.30am–12.30pm); they have walking and driving maps and a Historical Interpretation Centre. If you walk north along the bay to Cape Dombey, with its boldly striped obelisk, you can see Little penguins on the rocks. There’s a choice of dozens of places to stay, most of which double up as places to eat. Robe Hotel, Mundy Terrace, is an old stone beachfront hotel with modern budget accommodation and en-suite motel-style rooms with views and spa units; the downstairs bars serve good bistro meals – lots of fish and a vegetarian dish of the day. The Caledonian Inn, Victoria Street, is a charming, ivy-covered stone building, first licensed in 1858, that would not look out of place in an English village – it offers B&B accommodation upstairs or in homely cottages, and serves excellent food. Also on Victoria Street, Guichen Bay Motel has good value, spacious rooms, some with kitchenette, and a playground, picnic area and pool, as well as a lounge and bar (cheap eats) and the licensed Robetown Cottage Restaurant which has special crayfish dishes in season. Sea Vu Caravan Park, 1 Squire Drive, is family-run and close to town, with a swimming beach just below. The excellent Bushland Cabins set in 25 acres of bushland, southeast of the centre on Nora Creina Rd, offer tent sites, a backpackers’ lodge comprising two bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge area with TV, and en-suite cabins with TV, fridge, heaters and ceiling fan; walking trails into the surrounding bush include the 1km clifftop track into Robe. For meals outside your accommodation you can treat yourself to excellent Italian coffee, city-style café fare or an all-day breakfast at Wild Mulberry Cafe, 46 Victoria St, opposite the Shell garage (summer & Easter daily 8am–8.30pm, rest of year 8am–6.30pm, closed Thurs). For self-caterers, Foodland Supermarket, opposite the Ampol petrol station, is open daily 7.30am–7.30pm. Attractions |
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