BOMPAS AT BEACHPORT: In the Limestone Coast Region of the South East
At Beachport one of the longest jetties in South Australia stretches out 770 metres into Rivoli Bay. It's impressive today….but when completed after a four years work….this amazing engineering feat was almost twice as long.
It dominates the town…….along with the pretty little Harbour Masters cottages on the foreshore……..and the historic hotel………Bompas By the Sea.
Just why all of this was built on a quiet bay on the Limestone Coast becomes very apparent when you drive to the north western tip of Rivoli Bay….. and take in the rugged coastline.
And the relics from the shipwrecks of the Admela and the Geltwood inside the historic Old Wool and Grain Store….now the National Trust Museum…..also explain why the colonial authorities went to such lengths to create a safe anchorage….and why a pub and a town developed around it.
“Most of the Seamen obviously had to stay somewhere and most of them stayed here and also you had the Museum which is next door to the National Trust that was owned by a lot of the big guys that owned a lot of the shipping companies down here in the Harbour….and they stayed there and here as well.”
“So there were really big plans for Beachport..... I mean the jetty speaks of grandiose visions for this as a port?”
“Yes, I think so…..I think it was meant to be one of the largest ports but unfortunately, due to the reef and the building of the jetty it became Beachport which is nice.”
Despite all the effort is seems the anchorage at the end of the jetty just wasn't deep enough for a major port.
Thankfully for Emma Handford the clientele at Bompas By the Sea has changed from rowdy sailors to easy going tourists……as husband Jonathon whips up dinner in the kitchen. They moved here after working in a resort at Port Douglas in Queensland…and set off in search of a quiet spot by the coast.
And they've certainly found it. The previous owners dubbed the historic 1870s hotel Bompas…...after a much loved grandfather……..and from the balcony guests have long been able to look out on the activities which have made this port what it is today.
The old rail line on the jetty is now used to bring back the local catch…….but in the old days the little coffee pot steam train made the regular run from the Old Wool and Grain Store to the waiting ships…..taking produce from nearby farms bound for markets in Adelaide and Melbourne. And throughout that period the old maintenance gangers kept a keen eye on the line which extended from Beachport all the way to Mount Gambier.
Back then Beachport's central location on the Limestone Coast…….made it something of a trade and transport hub…..for a while at least…and so it is again…..for trade of a different kind.
“And it's really safe for families. I think Beachport has probably got better swimming beaches for basically everyone than a few other places around the area….and it's pretty central the Limestone Coast region. I mean Mount Gambier is about an hour, Coonawarra is about an hour, Naracoorte is about an hour, Robe is about forty minutes. And then there's no other town that's that central to everything else…..which is good.”
Many who've come to Bompas By the Sea have made their way to this seaside getaway to enjoy one of the town's oldest tourist attractions….the Pool of Siloam….highlighted in the old brochures in the National Trust Museum as one of the wonders of beauteous Beachport.
“The Pool of Siloam.....it's seven time saltier than the sea…apparently a lot of people believe it helps with arthritis.......and any stiffness. People swear by it. They go swimming every day.”
The Pool of Siloam is a short walk from Bompas By the Sea…….like everything else in Beachport. A night in the hotel costs from forty dollars to eighty nine dollars depending on the room. You can book on 8375 8333.
Details
Bompas By the Sea
3 Railway Terrace
BeachportRooms from $40 to $89 per night.
Contact: (08) 8735 8333
