We loved Victor Harbor (although the missing “u” is sad). The islands around the town and the Bluff are great. There are so many things to see and do around town. And the history is amazing. It extends up the road to Port Elliot, and then on to the delightful Goolwa, sucking in the whole Murray River and Darling River experience. Wow!
We were at Victor Harbor from 30 March up to 04 Apr, but left Mobi there to go to Kangaroo Island on 02 – 03 April 2019.
Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia
Getting There
Robe > Kingston > Tailem Bend > Straithalbyn > Port Elliot > Victor Harbor ~ 396kms
History
This area is the home of the Ramindjeri clan of the Ngarrindjeri people. For thousands of years, the Ramindjeri people hunted and gathered in the region they called ‘Wirramulla’. They were the most westerly Ngarrindjeri, living in the area around Encounter Bay and Goolwa in southern South Australia, including Victor Harbor and Port Elliot. The fertile lands supported huge animal populations while the waters were sheltered and rich with life.
Steadily, the indigenous peoples were displaced, but attempts were made to bring the two groups together. In the 1840s, Victor Harbor missionaries taught Ramindjeri children to read and write in their own language, one of the earliest attempts to do so.
The bay on which Victor Harbor sits was visited by Matthew Flinders in HMS Investigator in April 1802. As part of the first circumnavigation of the continent, Flinders was surveying the then unknown southern Australian coast from the west. He encountered Nicolas Baudin in Le Geographe near the Murray Mouth several kilometres to the east of the present day location of Victor Harbor. Baudin was surveying the coast from the east for Napoleonic France. Although their countries were at war, each captain was given documents by the other nation’s government, stating that the ships were on scientific missions, and were therefore not to be regarded as ships of war. Together, the ships returned to the bay and sheltered, while the captains compared notes. Flinders named the bay Encounter Bay after the meeting.
In 1837 Richard Crozier, who was en route from Sydney to the Swan River Colony in command of the ship HMS Victor, anchored just off Granite Island and named the sheltered waters in the lee of the island ‘Victor Harbor’. About the same time two whaling stations were established at Rosetta Head (popularly known as “the Bluff”) and near the point opposite Granite Island. Whale oil became South Australia’s first export. The first thirty-four settlers arrived with the Rev Newland in 1839 and settled at Yelki, near the Bluff. The Bluff was named Rosetta Head after the wife of G. F. Angas.
In early days when a whale was sighted, a flag was run up on its promontory, or a fire raised to attract attention. This called in all the boats from the neighborhood of the Nob (Port Elliot’s old name) to join in the chase. In those days the Bluff was covered with trees and undergrowth, instead of being denuded as at present.
Whaling stations continued trading until around the mid-1860s, but bigger profits were to be had from boats carrying wheat and wool down the Murray River to Goolwa. Since Goolwa was unsuitable for ships, a 12km railway was built to connect with Port Elliot in 1854 – creating Australia’s first public railway. But Port Elliot was also found wanting so a safer, more sheltered port in the lee of Granite Island was chosen. The railway was extended from Port Elliot to Victor Harbor in 1864.
The horse drawn railway was extended along the Causeway to Granite Island in the mid-1860s to service large American and European clippers. By the 1880s, 25,000 bales of wool from western NSW and Queensland were being paddled down the Murray, freighted by train to Victor Harbor and then shipped to the world. But railways killed the river trade in the 1890s – and Victor Harbor’s new history as a holiday destination began.
The town of Port Victor was laid out on the shores of Victor Harbor in 1863 when the horse-drawn tramway from Goolwa was extended to the harbour. The last whale was caught off Port Victor in 1872.
The town’s name was changed to ‘Victor Harbor’ in 1921, as a result, it is said, of a near shipwreck blamed on confusion with Port Victoria on the Yorke Peninsula. Despite harbour normally being spelt with a “u” in modern Australian English, the name of the city is spelt without the “u”. This spelling, found in several geographical names in South Australia, coincided with the popularity in early Australian English of American spelling, for reasons that remain unclear. Victor Harbour railway station is spelt with the “u”.
Victor Harbor continued to grow despite the loss of the river trade. With the hinterland now well established, farmers and graziers came to Victor to buy or sell their goods. When connected by rail to Adelaide the town and harbour became a tourist attraction which has kept on growing to such an extent that today Victor Harbor became one of the major tourist destinations in South Australia
Day 1 – Sat 30 Mar – To and at Victor Harbor
We got away at 6.20 after a dreadful night – rain, high winds, little sleep. But then the sun was shining, and the wind eased a bit. But it was a rough old road. We drove through a mix of coastal scrub and farmland – mostly sheep. We saw an occasional winery, some of which were extremely large. We also saw large scale irrigation for lucerne, heaps of pine forests and an occasional glimpse of water. Around Kingston the landscape gets very flat.
We fuel up at Kingston, paying $1.469 compared to $1.579 in Robe. We have to say it’s a boring drive – long straight sections with coastal scrub on both sides. An occasional view of distant hills to north.
At Salt Creek we change drivers and saw the creek running out to The Coorong. Having worked in water resources management for so many year, this is my first experience of this iconic waterway. As we left Salt Creek, the rain started again.
Around Meningie we come to Lake Albert, with glimpses of the lake. Then we are driving around Lake Alexandrina – so much water, the expanse is amazing, all fed by the mighty Murray River, resting before it runs to the Coorong and then the ocean. For us it is amazing to be here. The amount of water is amazing – it just goes on for so long.
Further around to Tailem Bend we came against a convoy of caravans with the lead not getting over 80kph very often. The convoy are also travelling quite close together not leaving much room for those overtaking. Not good! Then past Tailem Bend we were unexpectedly on a 4 late motorway. I hit the throttle and were were around them very quickly – what a relief.
We crossed the Murray R, saw a little church in the middle of nowhere, and were soon in Strathalbyn, then Middleton – lots of lovely old buildings.
Arriving in Victor Harbor we were struck by the waterways and the sense of history. We were quickly at the Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park. Our site was a drive through which was great, but really narrow. The park was pretty crowded, and we found ourselves tightly packed in against our neighbours. I really felt I had to apologise for bringing Mobi in on top of our new neighbour. The length was not an issue but we were really squatting cheek by jowl in a long line of vans. After having heaps of space in our more recent other parks this was not good. Even though the facilities were pretty good, at $35.87 a night with discount we will be looking elsewhere for a lot more space next time.
After setting up we went into town to see the town centre and get to the tourist information office. It’s a really nice place. Not sure about the camels.
We drove out to the Bluff – initially around the base of this monstrous rock mass, at Rosetta Harbor. There is a very modern boat ramp there and lots of pelicans.
We went up to the top of the Bluff and the scenery is amazing. We did not walk up to the top of the Bluff, but we were high enough to be really impressed. It was extremely windy and cold out there.
After that we drove back into town to see the range of historical building we had seen. Great to see. We were particularly impressed by the three pubs and the railway station.
But there are so many other lovely buildings.
Day 2 – Sun 31 Mar – To and at Goolwa
We had a lovely day out to Goolwa, the weather was kind, and the travels were easy. Firstly we went to Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot, which is an amazing place – shipwrecks galore, they are marked in the second photo below. It is a small bay but was used as a cargo port as well as a safe anchorage. The entrance is small with many rock outcrops and stoney islands close in. It would take a very skilled mariner to get a boat in and out.
But this area is more famous for the encounter between Matthew Flinders and Frenchman Nicholas Boudin in 1802, as set out here:
There are good views from the western headland including back to Victor Harbor. Also some lovely homes and buildings, especially the very cute council chambers.
We saw a lovely little home near Middleton marine park, some more lovely old buildings there and checked out the beach.
Goolwa is a town seeped in history – positively dripping from every rafter. The name comes from an Aboriginal word for ‘elbow’ – describing the shape of the bend in the river around Hindmarsh Island – or ‘yesterday’. Sealers from Kangaroo Island were probably the first Europeans to visit Goolwa, possibly as early as 1828.
Australia’s first public railway, horse drawn, was opened in 1854 to connect Port Eliott with the Murray steamboat system, thus connecting river traffic at Goolwa with an ocean port. This was Australia’s first example of an integrated transport system. And they probably achieved more than the current governments have.
Goolwa represents the end of the line for the River Murray, the point at which the river meets the sea. The mouth of the Murray today is just a small gap between the sand hills, a direct result of the numerous locks and weirs which control and divert the water flow along its length.
In its heyday Goolwa was a thriving port which catered not only for riverboats but also for boats entering the river system from the ocean in the days when the mouth of the Murray was wide enough and deep enough to allow such passage. The Goolwa wharf, built in 1852 saw the town thrive for the next 40 years, making it one of Australia’s major river ports. Sixty vessels were built at Goolwa up to 1913 including 37 paddle steamers.
However, the building of railway links to Morgan in 1878 and Murray Bridge in 1886 had a major impact on the river trade to Goolwa, as cargo was sent directly to Adelaide from these other centres.
Seawater is prevented from entering Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and the Murray River by a series of 5 barrages. Small craft can pass through a lock at the Goolwa and Tauwitchere Barrage. Goolwa still has it’s past traditions of shipbuilding, trade and transport, but is now a growing tourist and holiday centre, and the paddle steamers on the river as a tourist attraction are a link with it’s past.
We first went to the port area – it was great to see the old wharf, the wool sheds and good ship Oscar, now a tourist experience. The little old railway station also remains. Over shadowing the lot is the bridge to Hindmarsh Island.
We walked around the town and there are some incredible buildings – our favourites were the Corio Hotel (1858), the old Police Station (1859) and a lovely old B&B in the middle of town.
Some of the other buildings include the following.
We drove over to Hindmarsh Island to see the mouth of the Murray River. Other than a new canal housing development, there is not much on the island – just extremely dry farmlands. We could see the mouth of the river across the Coorong, but it was a long way away. I would have liked to drive out to the actual mouth rather than viewing it across the water – there were a couple of 4WDs out there, but it would have been a long trip, certainly deflating tyres and all that stuff, so we decided it would take far too long.
Day 3 – Mon 01 Apr – Victor Harbor
We went into town and walked over to Granite Island. We had heard that the horse drawn tram is no longer operating due to concerns over the condition of the causeway and its ability to take the weight. It was closed quite suddenly and its future is not certain. But for us it was a lovely walk.
At the Island we turned right as advised and did the walk around the Island anti-clockwise – a wise decision. It’s a 3km stunning walk. There are a number of sculptures on the way around, a mixed lot we thought (who would do a sculpture of a fur ball). The first section is up hill with great views back to the mainland across the jetty.
We then came to an outcrop of large granite rocks, one of which is named the umbrella rock (third photo). There are good views to the Bluff.
The path snakes around the Island with lots of photo opportunities. It then took us to the stairway down to the cafe and the walk back to the mainland. The sea is really pumping here and we spent some time just watching the sea pound the rocks.
We took the stairway down to the cafe and the breakwater. The story of the breakwater is amazing.
We walked back across the jetty and around the town. We saw the trams all locked away – a pity. The lady at the information centre had said that people were worried about the horses that pulled the trams as well…. They might forget what to do when the causeway is repaired if it takes too long.
We had seen what we thought was a large church on the top of a hill, so we drove around to have a look. But it actually a stately home with an amazing history and an uncertain future.
Mount Breckan is one of the outstanding buildings of the town. In the early 1870s, Alexander Hay bought a block of land, near the Hindmarsh River in Victor Harbor, of some 160 acres. In 1875 he stocked it with sheep and later, on suggestions of his second wife Agnes Gosse, decided to build a house on it which would overlook not only the land but also the sea. The foundations for Mount Breckan were laid in April 1879 and early in 1881 the family moved in.
The main building consisted of a great hall, measuring 11 x 16 metres, 22 rooms, including seven bedrooms, master bedroom, dining room, drawing room, ball room, bath rooms, halls, library, school room, vestibules, dressing rooms, a large staircase and a 25 metre high tower. Outside there was a tennis court and several other buildings.
In 1908, ten years after the death of Hay, Mount Breckan was destroyed by fire. The insurance policy only covered a very small amount of the damage. In July 1909 Mrs Hay and a daughter were lost in the ill fated Waratah on a voyage to England. Subsequently the property was acquired and rebuilt as the Mount Breckan Club, a high class guest house. By 1913 it had 38 rooms and a golf course. At the same time the estate became smaller and smaller as a total of 57 housing blocks were carved from it and sold.
The Commonwealth Government bought Mount Breckan for the use as a training and rehabilitation centre for the Air Force. From 1962-1978 the building was used as a Bible College with as many as a hundred students attending each year. In 1996 the property was bought by the Baron and Baroness of Ballintober in Ireland who restored this grand mansion and operated it is a convention facility. The property was sold in 2007 and then a forced mortgage sale was held in 2009. The current owners are trying to have new development plans for 39 house sites accepted by the local council. Mt Breckan has heritage listing and will remain largely untouched, but surrounded!.
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