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November01, 2004 - Turtle EssaysEdition no 109 dated 1st November 2004 >> |
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Turtle Essays Edition no 108 dated 25th October 2004. The main reason people publish ezines is to market their products. Here is a free marketing course for anybody interested in Internet marketing http://hop.clickbank.net/?brerrabbit/mcplants ** In this edition: Editors Blurb Beacon Island Plettenberg Bay Storms River Mouth ** Editor's Blurb Hi there folks! Welcome to Turtle Essays travel ezine. This week I have prepared two articles on places to be found along the southern coastline of South Africa. These are two of the most spectacular places one can visit and they both have some fantastic views along the rocky coastline which forms the Tsitsikamma National Park. For those who are interested I am putting together an online shop for my website which will include travel products such as accommodation, tours and even cheap air flights. It's going to be more like a general dealer though as I am intending to include marketing productsto include web traffic, advertising, etc. I might even be selling biltong online in future. The pages will form part of the website but will be seperate from the essays section with links to them of course. I will however include paid advertising on some of my article pages where accommodation and travel apply to theme of the article. To see the photos that are included in the web version of this ezine visit http://www.turtlesa.com/ezine108.html I've also added a number of new articles and photographs to my blog called Turtletravel which can be found at Http://turtleessays.blogspot.com They include a chat I had with Adam Baldwin on the set of the Poseidon Adventure. That's enough from me for one week. See you all soon. Geoff Fairman ** The Beacon Island of Plettenberg Bay. Plettenberg Bay is one of the most beautiful bays along the South African coastline. During the ice age between 12000 and 18000 years ago it has recently been discovered the sea was about 80 kilometres south of where it is today. The Robberg Peninsula which forms the western boundary to the bay used to be surrounded by grasslands and was grazed by giant wildebeest, kwaggas and ostriches to mention but a few. The rocky outcrop today known as the Robberg Peninsula was inhabited by the Khoisan in those times who hunted the animals on the plains and gathered roots and plants for their survival. As the ice melted the water eventually flooded the grassy plains and formed what is to day known as Plettenberg Bay. The rocky outcrop in the centre of the bay is known as the Beacon Island. It apparently received its name from a stinkwood navigational beacon that was set up on it in 1772 that was used by mariners to set their chronometers. The beacon had to be renewed on two occasions during the 19th century. Beacon Island is not an island in the true sense of the word. It just happens to be situated in the estuary of the Piesang River which separates it from the land. Today it is no longer an island as the western bank of the river has been filled in to provide access to the island and the hotel. Not much was known of the island before John Sinclair started his whaling activities in the bay. The first cargo of whale oil left the shores of Plettenberg Bay in 1834 on board a ship named Calypso. After Sinclair a number of other men continued to whale in the bay and it was Cornelius Watson and Percy Toplis who managed to obtain a lease to use Beacon Island as a whaling station. Tragedy was to strike Watson shortly afterwards when a whale he had harpooned from his boat Scorpion dived and pulled his boat under. He was drowned and a week later the whale with Watson's harpoon still in its side washed up on the beaches near Cape Town about 500 kilometres away. Watson's partner struggled on and eventually sold out to the Southern Whaling Company in 1908. Whaling continued from the Beacon Isle until 1913 when a Norwegian company with seven whaling ships started whaling in the bay. Things went well for a couple of months and then ill luck started to take its toll. The whaler Groukama sank in the Knysna lagoon at Featherbed Bay. A month or two later the pilot boat used in the lagoon was capsized by the Thesens supply boat. In July 1914 the whaling station on Beacon Island was badly damaged by fire and to crown it all war broke out in August of the same year. Whaling however continued until 1916 when all operations ceased. Today there is not much left of the old whaling station although the old slipway can still be seen. Of course this island setting could not stay uninhabited for too long. With whaling being a thing of the past the manager's house on the island was soon turned into a boarding house and was run by Anne Harriet and her husband Thomas Hopwood. This tradition has been continued till today with the building of the splendid Beacon Isle Hotel on the rocky outcrop. The hotel has become a famous landmark with its postion in the centre of the bay. It can be seen from Robberg and from as far as the Keurboomsstrand which is about seven or eight kilometres up the coast towards the east. Beacon Isle hotel is very popular and caters for families, newly weds and international tourists as well. The hotel overlooks what was once Plettenberg Bay's harbour, the bay situated at the mouth of the Piesang River. Today it is used as an anchorage for the squid boats that launch from the beach between Beacon Isle and the Lookout rocks a 100 metres or so across the bay. This whole area is spectacularly beautiful and is well worth a visit. Why not visit Plettenberg Bay on your next trip to South Africa. See you here soon. ** Storms River The Tsitsikamma National Park established in December 1964 is an 80 kilometre strip of rocky coastline which starts at Natures Valley in the west and ends at the mouth of the Storms River in the east. In it is 5400 hectares of indigenous forest and one of the largest marine reserves to be found along the Cape coastline. The forests are well preserved and contains some giant Yellowwood trees including one specimen which is 36 metres tall. To get to the park one has to drive about 70 kilometres from Plettenberg bay towards the east through some on the Tsitsikamma Forests that line the N2 highway here. About 20 kilometres from Plettenberg Bay the Tsitsikamma Toll road begins and it has a number of spectacular bridges crossing first the Groot River and then the Bloukrans River before you reach the turnoff to the Park. There is an alternative route for those who want to visit the start of the Otter trail near Nature's Valley. The twisting mountain pass down to Nature's Valley is extremely beautiful with both sides of the road being covered with indigenous forests. It's real ???Tarzan??? country with large yellowwood trees covered with moss and lichens and plenty of monkey ropes to swing on. Once you get to the bottom of the pass you come across the small village of Natures Valley. The village has plenty of holiday houses and I would imagine a sprinkling of permanent residents. The beach is extremely beautiful with its lovely golden sands with the mountains dropping into the sea on its eastern boundary. It's here where the 5 day Otter trail begins. This trail is extremely strenuous and is not for the unfit. It runs along the top of rocky cliff faces, into valleys and up the other side, across rivers, rocky paths and beaches. Everything you need has to be carried with you including pots and pans and gas stoves. The overnight huts along the way have to be booked in advance if you should want to walk the trail. The river crossings can be hazardous and one has to arrive at the rivers at low tide to be able to get across them safely. The eastern end of the otter trail is found at the rest camp near the Storms River mouth. Storms River rest camp has a number of facilities including Oceanettes (wooden houses) which are for hire to the general public and a caravan park with sites along the beach. Picnic sites for day visitors are also available. The park has also provided a restaurant near the camp site and this is exremely popular with visitors who stop for drinks or a light meal before taking the short walk (about a kilometre) to the mouth of the Storms River. The path to the mouth runs along the mountain side through the indigenous forests overlooking some sheer drops to the sea below. To increase the safety of visitors and to make the path more accessible for elderly folk (like me) a wooden pathway has been built. In days gone by I remember clambering along the slippery path that used to be there with a child on my back and in some places hanging on for dear life to a tree or plant to stop myself falling. The walk to the mouth is well worth the effort as when you arrive there you come across a very wobbly but safe suspension bridge crossing the river. To get to it you have to negotiate some very steep stairs down to the waters edge. Crossing the bridge can be scary for some especially if someone bounces on it while you are crossing. From the centre of the bridge you get a fantastic view up the river between the sheer cliffs that drop down into the river on both sides. As the whole area is a marine reserve and fish are plentiful one can sometimes see shoals of fish swimming in the water below the bridge. The river is navigable for a short way upstream for small boats and some people do river rafting down the river. It is however not recommended as a number of years ago there was a flash flood and some people lost their lives while river rafting. For those who like to scuba dive there is an underwater trail starting near the restaurant. The Storms River mouth is a lovely place to visit and spend a couple of days. There are a number of shorter trails that one can walk during your stay. The best part is that one can lie and tan, on the small beach near the restaurant, swim out to the raft that is sometimes anchored in the bay and generally have a really relaxing holiday far away from the city lights. For campers the camp authorities provide lectures and videos on nature during the evenings. It's a good place to stay so why not book your holiday today. See you there soon! ** Lotto Loser? Change your luck today Give yourself a winning chance http://hop.clickbank.net/?brerrabbit/shaneomac2 ** Please read the disclaimer at http://www.turtlesa.com/Disclaimer.html See you all soon Geoff Fairman ** |
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November01, 2004 - Turtle EssaysEdition no 109 dated 1st November 2004 >> |
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