Asmall cruise ship circumnavigating Australia visited Robe last week.

The “Coral Adventurer” cast anchor in Guichen Bay and around 100 of its passengers were ferried in the ship’s long boat to shore via the Lake Butler Marina.

They spent a few hours shopping and dining.

Although skies were cloudy, sea conditions were calm with only light winds.

The Robe District Council had worked on the cruise ship arrival for the last 12 months.

The voyage, operated by Coral Expeditions, left Cairns in the middle of last month for a counter-clockwise journey of mainland Australia, including a visit to Tasmania.

The trip was initially meant to happen in 2019 but had been delayed by COVID- related factors.

The relatively small size of the “Coral Adventurer” meant it could navigate the reefs of Guichen Bay.

It is understood the visit was the first time in living memory that a cruise ship was able to land passengers.

Back in 2016, weather and sea conditions conspired to prevent cruise ship passengers from coming ashore at Robe.

Hundreds of tourists aboard the P&O vessel the “Pacific Jewel” were expected to tour the region as far as Beachport and Coonawarra.

However, the shore excursions and day trips were cancelled as the conditions in Guichen Bay were unsuitable for landing passengers.