District Council of Robe
Encyclopedia
The District Council of Robe is a local government area located in the Limestone Coast
area of South Australia
. The main offices are in Robe
, the town after which the council is named. The district relies on a mix of agriculture
, fisheries and tourism
as major components of its economy
.
, was explored by Captains Matthew Flinders
and Nicolas Baudin
in 1802, with Baudin initially naming it after Admiral de Guichen
. The first major town was officially founded and named 'Robe
' by the South Australia
n Government 1846 after Major Frederick Holt Robe, Governor of South Australia who had selected the site in 1846.
It was the first major town to be established in the south east
of the colony. Greytown on Rivoli Bay had been surveyed a few months earlier and was the site of a small settlement but, Robe was the first administrative center and was the focus of public
and commercial
life in the area.
The 'District Council of Robe' was proclaimed on 28 October 1869 to service the growing community at that time.
By the 1880s, the district began a slow decline, and increasingly relied on its fishing
and agricultural industries as its status as a major port
and industrial
hub decreased.
and agricultural industries, with Rock lobster
one of the main catches in the area.
The district has a variety of agricultural industries, with cereal crops, beef cattle
and sheep prominent. The district also has a thriving wine
industry, lying near the Coonawarra
wine region.
Tourism
has been an increasingly important part of the economy, with up to 15000 tourists every year. The town has a large number of historic buildings, as well as natural attractions. The town is listed as one of the State's historical towns in the Heritage Conservation Branch's Master Interpretation Plan.
Boatswains Point, Bray, Comung, Greenways
, Konetta, Lake Eliza, Mount Benson
, Noolook Forest, Nora Creina, Robe
and Woodleigh.
: William Peden
CEO: Rob Kay
Councillors:
Limestone Coast
The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twentyfirst century for the geographical region and tourist region of the southeast coast of South Australia from the Victoria border to the towards the city of Adelaide.-Location and description:...
area of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The main offices are in Robe
Robe, South Australia
Robe is a town and fishing port on the South East Limestone Coast of South Australia. The town's distinctive combination of historical buildings, ocean, fishing fleets, lakes and dense bush is widely appreciated. Robe lies on the southern shore of Guichen Bay, just off the Princes Highway. At the...
, the town after which the council is named. The district relies on a mix of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, fisheries and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
as major components of its economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
.
History
The district's coastline, like much of South AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, was explored by Captains Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
and Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
in 1802, with Baudin initially naming it after Admiral de Guichen
Luc Urbain de Bouexic, comte de Guichen
Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen - French admiral; entered the navy in 1730 as "garde de la Marine," the first rank in the corps of royal officers.His promotion was not rapid...
. The first major town was officially founded and named 'Robe
Robe, South Australia
Robe is a town and fishing port on the South East Limestone Coast of South Australia. The town's distinctive combination of historical buildings, ocean, fishing fleets, lakes and dense bush is widely appreciated. Robe lies on the southern shore of Guichen Bay, just off the Princes Highway. At the...
' by the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n Government 1846 after Major Frederick Holt Robe, Governor of South Australia who had selected the site in 1846.
It was the first major town to be established in the south east
Limestone Coast
The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twentyfirst century for the geographical region and tourist region of the southeast coast of South Australia from the Victoria border to the towards the city of Adelaide.-Location and description:...
of the colony. Greytown on Rivoli Bay had been surveyed a few months earlier and was the site of a small settlement but, Robe was the first administrative center and was the focus of public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
and commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
life in the area.
The 'District Council of Robe' was proclaimed on 28 October 1869 to service the growing community at that time.
By the 1880s, the district began a slow decline, and increasingly relied on its fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and agricultural industries as its status as a major port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
and industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
hub decreased.
Economy
The district still is heavily reliant on the fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and agricultural industries, with Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Jasus edwardsii, the southern rock lobster, red rock lobster, or spiny rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found throughout coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. This species is commonly called crayfish or crays in New Zealand and in Māori...
one of the main catches in the area.
The district has a variety of agricultural industries, with cereal crops, beef cattle
Beef cattle
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production . The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot cattle are known as feeder cattle. Many such feeder cattle are born in cow-calf operations specifically designed to produce beef calves...
and sheep prominent. The district also has a thriving wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
industry, lying near the Coonawarra
Coonawarra
Coonawarra is a wine region, on the Limestone Coast of South Australia, that is known for the Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced on its "terra rossa" soil. Coonawarra is an Aboriginal word meaning "Honeysuckle". It is about 380 km southeast of Adelaide, close to the border with...
wine region.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
has been an increasingly important part of the economy, with up to 15000 tourists every year. The town has a large number of historic buildings, as well as natural attractions. The town is listed as one of the State's historical towns in the Heritage Conservation Branch's Master Interpretation Plan.
Localities
Robe is the only major town of the district, with a number of smaller towns also encompassed in the district. The full list is:Boatswains Point, Bray, Comung, Greenways
Greenways, South Australia
Greenways is a settlement in South Australia. At the 2006 census, Greenways had a population of 129....
, Konetta, Lake Eliza, Mount Benson
Mount Benson
Mount Benson is the name of a wine region in South Australia's Limestone Coast zone. It is an area near the coast between Kingston SE and Robe....
, Noolook Forest, Nora Creina, Robe
Robe, South Australia
Robe is a town and fishing port on the South East Limestone Coast of South Australia. The town's distinctive combination of historical buildings, ocean, fishing fleets, lakes and dense bush is widely appreciated. Robe lies on the southern shore of Guichen Bay, just off the Princes Highway. At the...
and Woodleigh.
Elected Members
MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
: William Peden
CEO: Rob Kay
Councillors:
- Rino Dell'Antonio
- David Loxton
- Jenny Mathews
- Rolf Petrovic
- Peter Riseley
- Ned Wright