Robe, South Australia

The Cape Dombey Obelisk

The Obelisk now over 160 years old, was last painted in 2002 and at this stage will not be painted again, as the job has become too risky and expensive; one firm in 2015 quoting $100k. The scaffolding alone was quoted at $58k. When it was last painted in 2002 the job only cost the council $3,500. But since then the point on which the Obelisk stands has become incredibly unstable with the council expecting the Obelisk to topple into the ocean at anytime. Needless to say there is no access to the Obelisk and can only be viewed from a distance. It's a fascinating structure that has played a big part in the Limestone Coast's maritime history. The lighthouse was built in 1972 to replace the Obelisk as a navigational device and to replace the lighthouse at Cape Jaffa near Kingston, about 50 kilometres north of Robe. 

The Lighthouse

The Town

By 1859 Robe had become the second busiest port in South Australia, second to Port Adelaide. South Australian Governor Frederick Holt Robe choose Robe as the site of a port and settled the town in 1846. The region was first recorded as being sighted by French explorer, Nicolas Baudin in 1802, naming the bay, Guichen Bay. During the Gold Rush era in the 1850's the Victorian Government legislated a new £10 tax on persons entering Victoria with the intention of heading to the goldfields in Bendigo and Ballarat. Subsequently, Chinese migrants made their way to the newly established port town of Robe and opted to walk the 300-400 kilometres to the goldfields instead of pay the tax. During this time more than 15,000 Chinese descended upon Robe. Since the early 1900's Robe has predominately been a tourist and fishing town, retaining many of the original limestone buildings and selling fresh lobster to holiday makers. Escape.com.au listed Robe's Long Beach as the most spectacular beach in South Australia.

The Beach