Bantry Bay, Cape Town

As its name signifies, Bantry Bay lies perched on the rocks overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in one of the most exclusive Bays on the Atlantic Seaboard. Crashing waves, magnificent sunsets and protection from the wind make Bantry Bay much sought after and, because of its position, an ideal base from which to explore Cape Town!

Bantry Bay lies just outside the vibey Suburb of Sea Point. Bantry Bay doesn’t have a Beach of its own but you can reach the Beaches of Clifton on foot, or Saunders Rocks Beach. On the border of Bantry Bay and Sea Point there is a little tidal pool, if the tide is right! Bantry Bay hugs the slopes of Lion’s Head and the very contemporary apartments that line the Bantry Bay sea front are as close to the ocean as you can get, (as seen by the photo). Bantry Bay is within easy reach of Table Mountain and the cableway, the V&A Waterfront and the City bowl are only 5 minutes away. Parking is very limited and the Roads are narrow, so I would suggest catching a lift or walking!

Geolocation
-33° 55' 41.7051", 18° 22' 23.2549"

Fresnaye, Cape Town

Fresnaye is situated between Signal Hill and Sea Point, a few kilometer's to the West of Cape Town's Central Business District (CBD).

Fresnaye was originally an Estate just under 1 kilometer squared, purchased early in the 1800s. It belonged to a descendant of the French Huguenots, an aristocratic barrister called Ryk Le Sueur from Bayeux in Normandy. The estate was called; 'Winterslust'. At the time the farmhouse was one of only two buildings on the mountain slopes, that and 'Heeren Huis' near Bantry Bay, which was built in 1776. At the time the farmhouse was surrounded by vineyards and orchards and — understandably — was referred to as a ‘Garden of Eden.’

The French Huguenots who settled at the Cape had a big influence on its society, small number of French settled here, including the wife of governor Jan van Riebeeck, Maria de La Quellerie. After the Edict of Nantes, which granted religious freedom to Protestants was revoked in 1685, a large number of Immigrants began arriving in Cape Town. Unfortunately, the Dutch East India Company wanted the new arrivals to assimilate into Dutch society, so their farms were purposely spread out amongst Dutch farms and the language of correspondence and instruction in schools was strictly Dutch. While the language and culture of the French were lost, traces remain in a proliferation of French street names still exist today in Fresnaye.

Geolocation
-33° 55' 30", 18° 22' 40.8"

Cullinan

Cullinan boasts a rich History of more than 100 Years. Cullinan became famous with the discovery of the World’s biggest diamond. The Cullinan Diamond was found by Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company in Cullinan on 26 January 1905. The stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the diamond mine. The second-largest stone cut from the Cullinan diamond is Cullinan II which is set in the Imperial State Crown, made during the coronation of King George VI in 1937. The 317-carat cushion-shaped diamond is the most valuable stone in the crown which was mounted on Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as she lay in state at Westminster Hall, awaiting her funeral on September 19, 2022.
The Town of Cullinan offers many outdoor attractions including: Mine tours, walking down Oak Avenue with its Curio Shops, interesting Restaurants and the famous McHardy Museum which has become part of the quaintness of this old Mining Town. Little mining Houses have been restored and are used to still portray the true ambience of this little mining town. One of the features of the Cullinan Recreation Club, which was erected in 1912; are nostalgic murals painted by Italian prisoners of war in 1944.
The mine itself covers 0,32 square kilometers and is 500m deep. This is nearly twice the size of the man-mined big hole of Kimberley.

Geolocation
-25° 40' 27.2818", 28° 36' 8.4097"