Things to Do

Robe has a great mix of local and historic attractions and is perfectly positioned to use as a base for exploring the Limestone Coast.

Little Dip National Park

Little Dip Conservation Park conserves a number of small lakes found throughout the park. Each lake has its own unique character, ranging from the open, marshy and shallow Lake Eliza to the very salty Big Dip Lake, and the deep Fresh Water Lake. The area features a ruggedly beautiful coastline including a large area of coastal sand dunes. The foreshore of Lake Eliza was once home to large numbers of Aboriginal Boandik people some 10,000 years ago. Large number of middens (shellfish remains) left by the Aboriginal people can still be seen in the park today. The coastal scrub that gives way to thick groves of melaleuca, dense rushes and samphire flats surrounding the lakes is a haven for birdwatchers. The beaches provide good opportunities for beachcombing and surf fishing.

Photo shows a typically beautiful sunset viewed from Long Gully located within Little Dip.

Long Beach

Long Beach at Robe is a safe family beach with gentle surf and is quite unique as its one of the few beaches where you are able to drive your car onto the sand. A unique part of Robe’s Heritage. Under most conditions it is safe to fish the areas close to shore from Robe jetty to Long Beach and up to one kilometre offshore. Fish that are caught in this area include whiting, flathead, salmon, mullet, garfish and the odd snapper.

Royal Circus and Customs House

The Royal Circus is a roundabout encircling a small sand hill and was a focal point for the original planned government town of Robe. The Customs House was built in 1863 and used for 25 years as a Customs House and office of Harbour Master and Receiver of Wrecks. It now houses the Maritime Museum. The Flagstaff was erected when Governor Frederick Holt Robe and Surveyor Thomas Burr took the first theodolite bearings for the town in 1846.

Wilson’s At Robe

Wilson’s at Robe established for over 20 years as a regional gallery is dedicated to exhibiting the finest works of Australian artists and crafts people. The gallery features timber furniture and carvings, glass, ceramics, jewellery and unique small gifts. Metal and local stone sculptures along with paintings and artist’s prints make browsing through this heritage listed building a treat. Resident artist Terry Johnson captures the charm and spirit of the seaside village of Robe with his paintings, prints and cards.

Mahalia Coffee

If you love coffee, you’ve got to try out this place! Mahalia Coffee is a multi award-winning, family run boutique roasting house based in the pristine seaside village of Robe on South Australia’s famous Limestone Coast. Using only the best raw coffee beans sourced from premier growing estates throughout the world, Mahalia Coffee aims to create exceptional coffee blends with outstanding flavour profiles. Their coffee is roasted daily to ensure maximum oils for full crema in the cup, and packaged immediately to preserve its full flavour. Mahalia Coffee is a refined experience suited to the epicurean tastes of coffee connoisseurs.

The Obelisk

The Obelisk was erected on Cape Dombey in 1852, used to navigate entrance into Guichen Bay and to store rocket lifesaving equipment. The firing of rockets carrying baskets to distressed ships to bring passengers ashore saved many lives. Later it assisted passing ships with navigation, standing at a height of 12 metres it is easily visible 20 kilometres out to sea. In 1862, after complaints by the Captains that the then white Obelisk was difficult to differentiate from Long Beach’s white sand hills, it was repainted in alternate red and white bands.

Beacon Hill Lookout

Originally an old navigational point, Beacon Hill Lookout Tower overlooks Robe. The tower offers stunning views across the town to the ocean and bay and was built as part of Robe 150 Jubilee year celebrations. Local, paddock-picked, limestone collected from nearby properties was used for the freestone face. Access to the base of the tower is by a timber boardwalk, approximately 28 metres long and with an overall rise of over three metres, was constructed by the Robe and District Lions Club, 13 members contributed in excess of 130 hours of voluntary labour.

Karatta Winery

Karatta Winery is a boutique winery on the Robe Penola Road, 20 kilometres from Robe. The winery’s vineyard includes 80 acres of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot, and Malbec are planted in terra rossa soil over limestone – the red wines in 1996/1997, and the white wines in 2005/2006. The Karatta winery is next to the cellar door, and the region’s maritime climate and cooling sea breezes give these wines full fruity flavours and an elegant finish.

Lake Fellmongery Ski Lake

Lake Fellmongery is a large freshwater lake which was given its industrial sounding name in 1853 when a Fellmongery was established there to wash wool salvaged from a wrecked ship in Guichen Bay. A popular place for water skiing, Lake Fellmongery is otherwise known as “The Ski Lake”. For more information on the water ski club and facilities contact the Robe Visitor Information Centre.