We are in a South Australian town called Robe. It is the first place we have stopped in that I have not been able to relate to, although the coastline here is as beautiful as any I have ever seen. The place has a fascinating history though. Fifteen thousand Chinese would be gold diggers disembarked here in South Australia to avoid the ten pound tax imposed by nearby Victoria on gold miners. Since the fare from China was ten pounds it must have seemed a bit unreasonable to them. They would arrive and be guided over the unpatrolled state border. Ships set out from here too with bales of wool for England. On one occasion there was a mishap and the cargo fell into the sea. Undeterred the merchants rinsed the lot of it in the lake and sent it off. It got top price in England and so all the wool after that was rinsed in the lake. A few old buildings live on a testament to more bustling times.
But now the little town is just a holiday and retirement place full of accommodation and palatial modern houses with names like Ripples, Riptide, Ticketty Boo and No Wurries. Every bit of grass is manicured and nobody walks anywhere. I cannot imagine what life in retirement would be like in such a place. Why would one get up in the morning.
I was a fish pilgrim today as Robe is famous for seafood and crayfish in particular. There is even a special boiler in our caravan park. I wanted something special to cook in the van. I went down to the quay where fishermen were weighing their catch and asked to buy but no - they were not allowed to sell off the boat. I pleaded with a fish and chip shop but his only came grilled or battered. Finally I set off for the industrial area - a long long walk past beautiful empty houses and plodded back with a cooked lobster's antenna tearing its way through my plastic bag. I stopped to read a free copy of "Senior" newspaper that I picked up in the Information centre and learnt about the importance of discussing end of life decisions with your loved ones. Maybe tonight over our lobster will be the time.
I am probably being unfair. It is probably quite different in the high season and perhaps what I picked up from most of the places I stopped at was the jaded indifference of shop people who have had too many crass tourists through a long hot summer. Or maybe it was my pommy accent.
But now the little town is just a holiday and retirement place full of accommodation and palatial modern houses with names like Ripples, Riptide, Ticketty Boo and No Wurries. Every bit of grass is manicured and nobody walks anywhere. I cannot imagine what life in retirement would be like in such a place. Why would one get up in the morning.
I was a fish pilgrim today as Robe is famous for seafood and crayfish in particular. There is even a special boiler in our caravan park. I wanted something special to cook in the van. I went down to the quay where fishermen were weighing their catch and asked to buy but no - they were not allowed to sell off the boat. I pleaded with a fish and chip shop but his only came grilled or battered. Finally I set off for the industrial area - a long long walk past beautiful empty houses and plodded back with a cooked lobster's antenna tearing its way through my plastic bag. I stopped to read a free copy of "Senior" newspaper that I picked up in the Information centre and learnt about the importance of discussing end of life decisions with your loved ones. Maybe tonight over our lobster will be the time.
I am probably being unfair. It is probably quite different in the high season and perhaps what I picked up from most of the places I stopped at was the jaded indifference of shop people who have had too many crass tourists through a long hot summer. Or maybe it was my pommy accent.
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