St Francis Bay (Afrikaans: St Francisbaai) is a holiday town in Sarah Baartman District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, roughly one hour’s drive from Gqeberha.
St Francis Bay
St Francisbaai | |
|---|---|
 Aerial photo of St Francis Bay | |
  St Francis Bay  St Francis Bay  St Francis Bay | |
| Coordinates: 34°09′43″S 24°49′48″E / 34.162°S 24.830°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Sarah Baartman |
| Municipality | Kouga |
| Government | |
| • Councillor | Lorraine Maree[1] (DA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.04 km2 (3.88 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 4,933 |
| • Density | 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 51.2% |
| • Coloured | 21.7% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.2% |
| • White | 26.1% |
| • Other | 0.8% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 39.4% |
| • Afrikaans | 32.7% |
| • English | 21.7% |
| • Zulu | 1.2% |
| • Other | 4.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 6312 |
| PO box | 6312 |
History
editEarly History
editThe town's earliest European history of the area can be traced back to 1488 when Bartolomeu Dias named the bay Golfo dos Pastores, although the bay was also known as Golfo dos Vaqueiros.
The town's current name is derived from the Portuguese Bahia de Sâo Francisco given in 1575 by Manuel Perestrelo to what is today St Francis Bay and Jeffreys Bay.[3]
Recent History
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On 11 November 2012 a fire destroyed 76 homes in St Francis Bay, almost all of them thatched roofed.[4]
Architecture
edit
The building style of the village section of St Francis Bay includes white painted houses with black roofs (mostly thatch) on the canals or around the golf course, or a Mediterranean building style in Santareme and Port St Francis. The Kromme River is navigable for 14 km upstream, and is linked to the St Francis canal system.
Tourism
editWhales can be spotted in the Bay from May to late October and dolphins can be seen daily on their way back and forth between the bays of Cape St Francis and Jeffrey’s Bay. The Cape clawless otter is ever present, frolicking in the waves and rock pools around Port St Francis and at Otters Landing. Bird life is abundant with over 200 species recorded in the area including the rare African oystercatcher and fish eagle.
Port St Francis includes a commercial and recreational harbour, built to host the squid industry freezing vessels, as well as a small harbour resort village. It lies in a sheltered nook of the bay and provides safe anchorage for the boats, pleasure craft, and oceangoing yachts. St Francis Field is an airpark close to the Port that caters for those who wish to fly in.
Cape St Francis, a rustic fishing village, sits adjacent to St Francis Bay and is popular for surfing at Seal Point, its beautiful stretch of beach and the historic lighthouse, built in 1878. Walking trails winding along the rocky coast, through the Irma Booysen Floral Reserve, and along the Cape St Francis point, links it to the village of St Francis Bay.
Cape St Francis is 8 km from Thyspunt, which was a preferred site for South Africa's next nuclear power station. A township known as Sea Visa is where most of the black Africans and coloured people live.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ Ward Councillors - Ward 12
- ^ a b c d "Main Place St Francis Bay". Census 2011.
- ^ Raper, P.E. (1989). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. p. 394.
- ^ "76 homes destroyed by St Francis Bay fire". News24. 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Nuclear 1 - Transmission - Thyspunt". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "Thyspunt is a prime candidate for a nuclear site – Dr Kelvin Kemm". March 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
External links
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St Francis travel guide from Wikivoyage- Residents Association
- St Francis Bay
- St Francis Bay Webcam
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