Camps Bay
Encyclopedia
Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town
, South Africa
. In summer it attracts a large number of foreign visitors as well as South Africans looking for a beach holiday. It is renowned for its white sandy beaches fringed by palm trees and has a trendy nightlife.
pastorates. When Jan van Riebeek established a refreshment station for the VOC (Dutch East India Company), the 12 Apostles were covered in forests with lion
, leopard
and antelope
.
In competition with the more recent settlers, the Gringqhaique lost their grazing lands on the south east slopes of Table Mountain
and in 1657 were restricted to Camps Bay.
By 1713 the number of Gringqhaique population had been reduced by measles and smallpox. All that was left of their settlement was an old kraal (Oudekraal).
The area was then granted to John Lodewyk Wernich and passed from father to son. Johan Wernich married Anna Koekemoer, who on his death in 1778, married Fredrick Ernst von Kamptz, a sailor and the area became known as “Die Baai van von Kamptz”.
For most of the 1800’s Camps Bay was undeveloped. Lord Charles Somerset used the area for hunting and used the Roundhouse as his lodge. Kloof Road was built in 1848 and in 1884 Thomas Bain was commissioned to build a road from Sea Point
to Camps Bay using convict labour.
The road was completed in 1887 and named Victoria road to honour Queen Victoria’s jubilee
in 1888. The road allowed people to cycle out to Camps Bay which had gained popularity as a picnic site. This led to the development, in 1901 of a Tram service to bring people out for the day and with it the development of the tidal pools, the Rotunda (now the Bay Hotel) and a pavilion for concerts and shows.
In 1913 Camps Bay was incorporated into Cape Town although it was still seen as a recreational area rather than a residential area.
s, covered seating areas with tables benches and public toilets. There is a small admittance fee.
Lui Bay (also known as Witsand) a popular dive site, in 1977 two scrap vessels (The Antipolis And Romelia) were being towed around the cape when there tow line broke in a storm. This caused the Antipolis to run aground near Oudekraal while the Romelia floundered further south between Llandudno and Sandy Bay. The hull of the Antipolis is now visible at low tide.
Koeel Bay has an African open-air curio market, that sells hand crafted items from all over Africa
.
Bakoven gets it name because of a large rock just off-shore with what appears as oven door in its side. There are several sheltered coves located in Bakoven. There is a Sea rescue base stationed here and a popular swimming beach is off Beta Close.
Camps Bay Beach, awarded blue flag status
in 2008 is the largest white sand beach in Camps Bay. There is a seasonal life guard station and toilets at the west end of the beach.
There are many beach front cafes and umbrellas and loungers are available to rent.
Glen Beach, at the far right of Camps Bay beach, hidden behind large boulders is Camps Bay's best surfing beach. Short fast rides and a small take-off area makes Glen Beach one of the hardest of Cape Town's beach breaks to surf and has resulted in a strong local vibe with a huge painted sign on the beach wall stating LOCALS ONLY!
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In summer it attracts a large number of foreign visitors as well as South Africans looking for a beach holiday. It is renowned for its white sandy beaches fringed by palm trees and has a trendy nightlife.
History
The first residents of Camps Bay were the San (Hunter Gatherers) and the Goringqhaique, KhoiKhoi
Khoi may refer to:*The common name of Siamese Rough Bush, Streblus asper Lour*The Khoikhoi people*One of the Khoe languages*The Khoekhoe language*Khoy, a city in Iran*Khoy County, an administrative subdivision of Iran...
pastorates. When Jan van Riebeek established a refreshment station for the VOC (Dutch East India Company), the 12 Apostles were covered in forests with lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
.
In competition with the more recent settlers, the Gringqhaique lost their grazing lands on the south east slopes of Table Mountain
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
and in 1657 were restricted to Camps Bay.
By 1713 the number of Gringqhaique population had been reduced by measles and smallpox. All that was left of their settlement was an old kraal (Oudekraal).
The area was then granted to John Lodewyk Wernich and passed from father to son. Johan Wernich married Anna Koekemoer, who on his death in 1778, married Fredrick Ernst von Kamptz, a sailor and the area became known as “Die Baai van von Kamptz”.
For most of the 1800’s Camps Bay was undeveloped. Lord Charles Somerset used the area for hunting and used the Roundhouse as his lodge. Kloof Road was built in 1848 and in 1884 Thomas Bain was commissioned to build a road from Sea Point
Sea Point
Sea Point is one of Cape Town's most affluent and densely populated suburbs, situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District . Moving from Sea Point to the CBD, one passes through first the small suburb of Three Anchor Bay,...
to Camps Bay using convict labour.
The road was completed in 1887 and named Victoria road to honour Queen Victoria’s jubilee
Golden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
in 1888. The road allowed people to cycle out to Camps Bay which had gained popularity as a picnic site. This led to the development, in 1901 of a Tram service to bring people out for the day and with it the development of the tidal pools, the Rotunda (now the Bay Hotel) and a pavilion for concerts and shows.
In 1913 Camps Bay was incorporated into Cape Town although it was still seen as a recreational area rather than a residential area.
Beaches
Oudekraal is made up of a collection of tiny beaches sheltered amongst the boulders and a well established picnic area with lawns, BraaiBraai
The word braaivleis is Afrikaans for "grilled meat."The word braai is Afrikaans for "barbecue" or "grill" and is a social custom in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The term originated with the Afrikaner people, but has since been adopted by South Africans of many...
s, covered seating areas with tables benches and public toilets. There is a small admittance fee.
Lui Bay (also known as Witsand) a popular dive site, in 1977 two scrap vessels (The Antipolis And Romelia) were being towed around the cape when there tow line broke in a storm. This caused the Antipolis to run aground near Oudekraal while the Romelia floundered further south between Llandudno and Sandy Bay. The hull of the Antipolis is now visible at low tide.
Koeel Bay has an African open-air curio market, that sells hand crafted items from all over Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Bakoven gets it name because of a large rock just off-shore with what appears as oven door in its side. There are several sheltered coves located in Bakoven. There is a Sea rescue base stationed here and a popular swimming beach is off Beta Close.
Camps Bay Beach, awarded blue flag status
Blue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
in 2008 is the largest white sand beach in Camps Bay. There is a seasonal life guard station and toilets at the west end of the beach.
There are many beach front cafes and umbrellas and loungers are available to rent.
Glen Beach, at the far right of Camps Bay beach, hidden behind large boulders is Camps Bay's best surfing beach. Short fast rides and a small take-off area makes Glen Beach one of the hardest of Cape Town's beach breaks to surf and has resulted in a strong local vibe with a huge painted sign on the beach wall stating LOCALS ONLY!