Pictured/Photo credit: TRACX Robe Adventure Tours
Tucked away on South Australia’s rugged Limestone Coast, Robe has a remarkable history. The picturesque seaside town sits on the shores of Guichen Bay, named in honour of a French Admiral after it was sighted by explorer Nicolas Baudin, in 1802. Now it’s a destination for thousands of visitors, who travel there for the beauty, tranquility, seafood and other fantastic drawcards. We recently visited, and put together a list of our favourite ten things to do.
1. The Holiday Collective’s Robe Warehouse Sale – If you love a bargain, you can’t go past the Holiday warehouse sales during school holidays. With a HUGE (I mean HUGEEEE) range of gorgeous women’s clothing, at ridiculous prices (starting from $10), along with accessories and homewares, it’s a shopper’s dream. Holiday is responsible for labels including Brave+True, Shanty, Daisy Says and Homelove. You’ll find it at the Corner of Robe Street & Flint Street.
2. Robe is known for its incredible seafood, none more coveted than their Southern Rock Lobsters. For a special night out in the town, head to Sails Restaurant, and enjoy half a lobster for around $110pp.
3. For those looking for a more affordable option, you can also grab a Lobster straight from the local seafood processor – Sky Seafoods for around $80/whole lobster to enjoy at home, or in your caravan as we did! You’ll find it just around the corner from Mahalia Coffee.
4. Speaking of Mahalia Coffee café, it’s a must-visit if you’re after a great caffeine hit! The café itself is full of gorgeous knick-knacks for purchase, while the coffee and cake is as good as it gets. Best of all, if you have kids, there’s a good outdoor space which leads out to a playground. So the kids can run around, you can have your coffee, and if you have a shopper in your group, they can duck next door to the Holiday warehouse (during school holidays) to shop up a storm.
5. Looking for something more adventurous? Try Mountain biking around Robe! Kylie from TRACX Robe Adventure Tours is sensational, and will lead you and your group along bush tracks, coastal tracks, and the streets of Robe, giving you the ultimate tour along the way. She’ll tailor the tour to your abilities, so everyone can enjoy themselves. Our girls were only 6 & 8 when we took them, and we all had a great day out.
6. If you’re on holidays, wineries are a must (or is that just in my family?!). Wangolina is a definite destination to seek out. There you’ll find great wine, and an all woman team led by their award winning wine maker, Anita. If you have kids there’s a lawn they can kick a ball around on, while you enjoy cheese and meat platters, not too far from Robe. Another great options is Cafe Jaffa, which is much bigger and more commercial. With great views, a cellar door and Loophole Brewery also on site, there’s plenty of reasons to visit. They also often have live music and food trucks on site. Karatta Wines is a cellar door found on the Main Street of Robe which also houses an art gallery and open fireplace. There’s great wine there too. Finally, for something a little different, head to Woodsoak Winery, which is also on the Main Street. It offers wine tastings with samosas and a great Indian twist.
7. For more of an experience while you’re in town, don’t forget to visit the Robe Town Brewery (located near Mahalia Coffee, Sky Seafoods & Holiday warehouse) for huge beer selection, Friday happy hour, live music and Rubens (check when food is available though as it’s not all the time).
8. To eat, we’d recommend Olive’s Robe (formerly The Project), which offers up great pizza, crab pasta, and a spectacular outdoor beer garden. Union café is also on the main drag, and while it has a basic fit-out, the food is great.
9. While Robe has no distilleries to speak of, they do have Robe Gin. To check it out you’ll need to visit the Robe Holiday Park and do a gin tasting at the reception desk. It’s unconventional but the gin is decent if you’re after something local, plus the bottle looks sensational and makes a great gift. While you’re there also make sure to tour the caravan park – it’s a wooded wonderland!
10. Long Beach – There aren’t too many beaches where you can take your vehicle down on to the sand, but Long Beach in Robe allows it in the summer months when the sand is very firm.. The beach itself is 17kms long and is a sight to behold in January with hundreds of cars parked up the beach. Long Beach is not the only beach worth visiting in Robe, with The Outlet being a great place to see birdlife, Fox’s Beach hosting a unique rocky reef and Town Beach having a pontoon to swim out to, you can’t really go wrong anywhere along this beautiful coastline.
11. Humpalicious Camel Farm – Visit amazing and intriguing camels at the Humpalicious Camel Farm. Join a Morning Milking Tour and learn how a camel is milked, meet the camel babies and taste fresh camel milk and camel milk gelato ice cream!
12. Transmutation – South Aussie company Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs collects bread tags from all over Australia, and then sends them to Robe, the only place in the country that can make something, from what would otherwise be rubbish. Transmutation, based in Robe, use a machine they’ve built themselves to compresses the bread tags, which allows them to be moulded into something beautiful. From hexagonal bowls, bread boards and soup dishes, the team at Transmutation ‘transform’ the rubbish into functional art, and sell the pieces, with proceeds going towards funding wheelchairs for kids in need in South Africa.
13. Robe Art Map – A great way to explore Robe is through their interactive art map, which you can find on their website here. It lists lots of categories such as icons, artisans and makers of robe, places to eat and drink and recreation and entertainment, making it a fun way to navigate the seaside town.
14. Good Intentions Cellar Door & Cantina – The Cantina is a vibrant cultural and cellar door destination where visitors can discover Cantina Wines, Good Intentions Wines, and artwork by Tim Goschnick, alongside a calendar of music festivals and community events.
The story of The Cantina began when local creative Tommy Davidson transformed his block of land into a lively, Mexican-inspired gathering space. It quickly became home to the annual Fiesta de Amor music festival and the cult favourite hot sauce, Cantina Kick. Later, winemaker Alice Davidson joined the project, introducing her label, Aunt Alice Wines, which focused on small-batch, minimal-intervention wines that reflect the region’s coastal terroir.
In 2022, The Cantina entered a new chapter when ownership passed to Andrew and Louise, who have carried on the venue’s creative spirit. Today, The Cantina continues to showcase handcrafted wines with a natural winemaking philosophy, accompanied by laid-back music, eclectic art, and a warm, welcoming vibe that draws locals and travellers alike.
You can visit the Cantina at 35 Evans Cave Rd, Robe SA.
While you’re in Robe, don’t miss the opportunity to check out the attractions nearby. The Naracoorte caves are just over an hour away & spectacular (and if you go all that way, carry on to Coonawarra where there’s dozens of wineries on the main strip).
For more information on Robe, and what’s on offer, head to the robe.com.au.
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