Robe, SA

Thursday 5 - Friday 6 Nov 1998

Thursday 5th

We drove the 50 odd kilometres from Kingston SE to Robe and found ourselves in a beautiful little town cradled in a wide, sandy bay protected to the west by islands and reefs. The water is a stunning turquoise colour and is flat calm being ruffled only by the smallest waves.

I guess we are seeing Robe at its best as all the conversation in the town is about the magic weather.

The caravan park owner says he came here on holiday 19 years ago and only left briefly to sell his house in Adelaide.

The caravan park is set on a small headland with the 6 metre (20 feet) high rock cliff and the beaches on either side accessible by short paths. The view from the Motley is breathtaking. We face north directly out into the bay. Out of the side windows to the west we can see the headland which protects the town. Past this lies not Albany in Western Australia, nor Capetown in South Africa but Montevideo in South America, just 18,000 kilometres (11,000 miles) away. It would be a hell of a lot closer on a great circle route but a hell of a lot colder and you couldn't sail all the way, you'd have to have to hike across Antarctica.

Friday 6th

The view is so beautiful we just stayed on here to look at it.