Hot Spot Charters - Robe: Ron sets to sea in the Limestone Coast region of South East, South Australia
A howling south-easterly and the smell of less-than-fresh squid and slowly-thawed cockle guts under the finger nails – sometimes this fishing caper isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
Earlier in the day, I'd managed to talk skipper John Stuart into taking his twin-hulled Hot Spot Charter vessel out of Robe's safe and cosy Butler's Harbour into the milky blue waters of Guichen Bay.
The great panoramic sweep of Robe's Long Beach and a treacherously low and well concealed maritime hazard called Baudin Rocks usually make this bay a relatively sheltered expanse of water. Baudin Rocks is home to an Australian Sea Lion colony.
English and American sealers from remote outposts in Tasmania and the east coast were setting sail for seal colonies like these soon after the first official charts were published. In fact it was Matthew Flinders who named them Baudin Rocks after Nicholas Baudin, the French navigator who came through here on Le Geographe back in 1802.
It was a sign of respect in politically uncertain times. Baudin was the first European to sail passed here. Even though both parties were officially at war, Baudin later warned his English counterpart about a potential death trap on what was then ominously called "The Unknown Coast."
This entire coastline is a marvellous blend of breathtaking wildlife and breathtaking scenery but to really appreciate it you need someone with John Stuart's hard earned nautical skill. This cockie cum dive instructor cum charter operator knows the Limestone Coast like the back of his hand.
Ragged shards of limestone rise up from the water with ample proof that limestone ledges just as dramatic fall away beneath. And occasionally over a few thousand years or more.. the wind and the waves conspire to create amazing landforms like Dooorway Rock.
With a coastline like this the construction of the Obelisk in the 1850s became a must.
John Stuart, Hot Spot Charters: “Obviously it was built as a marker. If you could envisage a square rig barque coming in here and getting too close there would be trouble.
“If they saw a boat too close they would sound the alert. They would warn the guy that he was coming to a lee shore and was in some danger. Rockets and ropes were also stored in the Obelisk.”
The 1850s were boom years for this Limestone Coast town.
John Stuart, Hot Spot Charters: “Robe was a very big port. Prior to the railways all the wool that was on property holdings used to come to Robe to be shipped out. Often straight to London. It was an active port but with the advent of rail everything ground to halt and it became a sleepy village. It stopped really quickly within a short number of years. And so the town itself didn't suffer and 'progress' and that's why the buildings are as they are.Like a time piece.”
Today it's a "time piece" enjoyed by thousands of holiday makers each year. And if the fish aren't biting... one of the best ways to savour its romantic history is on board John Stuart's Hot Spot Charters. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Published 28th September 2008
