Robe Chinese Festival

This weekend is the Robe Chinese Festival, and launching at the festival is a new book by Liz Harful, author of Almost an Island. Guichen Bay and the Chinese Landings incorporates material from Almost an Island with new research. Both books will be available from the foreshore pavilion on Saturday 6 May, and Liz will be signing books from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. After Victoria introduced a tax on Chinese passengers during the gold rush, some 15,000 migrants landed at the…

Blessing the Fleet from Liz Harfull's Almost an Island

Liz Harfull's Almost an Island is full of fascinating information about Robe on the Limestone Coast. One of the great traditions of the area is the blessing of the fleet, which happens every spring. Liz explains: Blessing the Fleet Every spring, at the start of the rock lobster fishing season, people gather at the Robe marina for an important ceremony. The Blessing of the Fleet brings peace of mind to the fishers and their families who are involved in…

On the silver screen ...

SA Tourism have been producing some great ads recently. There has been a bit of disagreement over the most recent Adelaide ad (see on InDaily here). Amber Petty wasn't much of a fan. But I think it's killer, and it is nice to be reminded just how darn beautiful and alive this old state of ours is. But it's not all about the big production ads. Through the SA Tourism Through Local Eyes project, a whole bunch…

New books, and three sleeps til the fair!

Things are ripping along over here at Wakefield Press HQ. We all know that the lead up to Christmas is the busiest time of the year, but this year we decided to challenge ourselves by bringing out a bunch of new books at the same time. Johnny in the warehouse is getting a workout! First things first: you've all had a peek at Janis Sheldrick's superb Nature's Line: George Goyder, Surveyor, Environmentalist, Visionary by now, and bought…