The District Council of Robe is considering installing a live-streaming camera to capture the fate of the town’s 170-year-old obelisk, a landmark locals fear could collapse into the sea within the next five to 25 years due to coastal erosion.
The project is expected to cost between $7,500 and $10,000, with $5,000 already pledged by the Robe Lions Club.
If approved, the camera would broadcast the site’s slow transformation in real time, an idea that’s already sparked lively debate online.
One Instagram poster comments, “Maybe instead spend the money on more research, for our current and ongoing marine disaster? Just a thought”.
Another poster says, “Twenty-five years is a whole generation away. I can think of much better projects we could finance and pursue for the next generation”.
Others are in favour of trying to save the monument, located on the south-eastern coastline, rather than watching it’s unfortunate demise. “Save it,” says one follower. “Don’t let it fall in.”
If Council decides to go ahead with the proposal, parents of Robe Primary School will be given the task of cleaning the lens and checking on the camera. School principal Anne Grayson says the school will use the experience as a teaching opportunity for the students.
“Our school community is excited about being involved with the Obelisk project, as it is the absolute icon of Robe and is part of our school’s imagery. It holds a special place for Robe Primary School,” says Ms Grayson.
Robe’s obelisk was installed in 1855 as a guide for ships entering Guichen Bay, but its level of corrosion is worrying for Robe Council and members of the community.
While the monument’s future remains uncertain, Council considers an app or subscription model as alternatives to the potential live streaming, and says nature’s damage to the obelisk has resulted in the need to take action sooner rather than later.
“We’ve got to where we thought we’d be in 2050,” says Robe Council CEO, Natalie Traeger.
“We don’t know when the next big storm might take a chunk out of it.”
For more info and to share your thoughts on the proposal, head over to the District Council of Robe | District Council of Robe website or visit their Facebook page.
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