History & Heritage

On the tragic morning of 26 February 1852 a disaster struck – which gave rise to the Birkenhead Drill “Woman and Children First”. Under the command of Captain Robert Salmond the Birkenhead Troopship left Portsmouth in January 1852, on route to East London South Africa.…

In 1729, a farmer from Caledon, Juriaan Appel, first saw the land at the foot of the Akkedis Mountains at the south-east end of a wide, fertile plain that culminated in the sea. He received a government permit to graze his cattle and sheep on…

The south-western corner of the Overberg district is a jewel that for centuries was isolated from the rest of the Western Cape. Dutch colonists crossed the Hottentots Holland mountains near the modern Sir Lowry’s Pass and moved onwards “over the mountains” to the east, bypassing…

An ancient world submerged as an African Atlantis* The implications of DNA studies are that everyone in the world today can trace their ancestry back to an African origin. The unity of the human species is remarkable. H.J. and Janette Deacon, Human beginnings in South…

During the municipal demarcation process in 2000, the four diverse municipalities of Gansbaai, Stanford, Greater Hermanus and Hangklip-Kleinmond, each with its own character, were united and suddenly share a destiny. Despite its proximity to Cape Town, the area has remained isolated for many years. Topography…

The town of Hermanus “proper” sits on the western cove of Walker Bay between magnificent sea cliffs and the Olifantsberg. Hermanus Pieters, an itinerant teacher of Caledon farmers’ children, was the first permanent resident in the early 1800s. Having come across a fresh spring and…

Hermanus has the only Whale Crier in the world. The Whale Crier walks through the streets of Hermanus blowing codes on his kelp horn to tell people where whales have been seen. The key to these code is on the sandwich board he wears. The…

For over a century, people have sailed across the lagoon or traveled the old ox-wagon to visit the abandoned “Spookhuis” (Afrikaans for Spook House). Some camped on the grassy shore by the old stone homestead and told scary stories in the moonlit nights. Evidence of…

The towns of the Overstrand have a rich historical background. This is reflected in the churches and buildings and much is done to maintain their appeal while still encouraging development and growth. Many of the buildings date back to the 18th and 19th century and…