We rounded out our stay in Robe with a couple of drives to some of the nearby places. First was Beachport. This is a small coastal town with a population of around 652. It is a very picturesque town with its long jetty reaching out into the azure waters. We walked some of the way along the jetty but half of it was closed for maintenance. It is vey cold and windy again and we don't linger on the jetty. Fortunately though, as luck would have it, there is a terrific cafe opposite the jetty where we head for a warming bowl of Seafood Chowder. We found out latter that this cafe is owned by the Chambers family. Some of you may have heard of Casey Chambers who is one of Australia's leading country rock singers.
After warming our bodies with the chowder we took a stroll around the Beachport town centre before getting back in the car to drive the Bowman Scenic Drive.
The Bowman Scenic Drive is a lovely drive that hugs the coastline north of Beachport. We stop at numerous lookouts to admire the views but the winds have picked up again and almost blow us away every time we venture outside the car!
It is a short drive, around 8km, so once we have completed the circuit we head north to Cape Jaffa and Kingston SE. We detour into the beach township of Nora Creina where we are assured a view of a beautiful township and beach. Alas, we will never find out if it lives up to its reputation because after driving along a narrow sandy road just wide enough for one vehicle, we are greeted with this......
The township is behind a locked gate that is private property!
Our next stop is Cape Jaffa. It is two parts. The eastern end is very much a fishing village and we wander along the small jetty, but at the western end is a new marina lined with million dollar homes. You could not get two more opposites if you tried.
We find the signposts that point us towards the old Cape Jaffa lighthouse cottage ruins. The cottages were built in 1872 to house the two lighthouse keepers that manned the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse that was located around 8km offshore. The lighthouse has now been relocated to Kingston SE.
Kingston SE is our final stop and we only stay long enough to walk the jetty and we are both amazed at the build up of seaweed lining the shore. They are huge mounds and never again will I complain about the seaweed that builds up on our North Queensland beaches!
And of course you can't pass through Kingston SE without a stop at Larry the Lobster, that stands 17 metres high.......
We arrive back to Robe late in the afternoon that gives us just enough time for a drive along Long Beach. There are many cars driving and parked along this very long beach but it is lovely and I can understand why it is a locals favourite. We drive as far as we can and stop to watch the windsurfers who, with the very strong winds, are lifted many metres into the air above the ocean. We both comment that if we were younger we would have a go at windsurfing!
Our time at Robe has come to an end. It is has been an absolute joy to explore this lovely area. Our next place is Mount Gambier that is home to many caves, sinkholes and of course the Blue Lake. Just hope the weather improves!
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