Robe is situated on Guichen Bay in South Australia. In 1857, Chinese gold seekers arrived there en route to the Victorian goldfields; by landing in South Australia they were trying to avoid the arrival taxes imposed by the Victorian authorities. These taxes were designed to restrict the number of Chinese diggers in Victoria. Many gold seekers from China arrived at the port, and it has been reported that one ship, the Young American, carried over 1,000 passengers.
Walking in a distinctive single file formation, the diggers undertook an overland march through the Western District to the Dai Gum Sam (the Victorian goldfields were known as New Gold Mountain to the Chinese). More recently the arduous journey of the Chinese prospectors has been commemorated with long distance walks and markers along the route from Robe to the central Victorian goldfields.
