Everything about Mossel Bay totally explained
Mossel Bay (
Mosselbaai in
Afrikaans and
Dutch) lies on the southern coast of
South Africa, east of the
Cape of Good Hope and west of
Knysna. It lies on the
Indian Ocean coast and is part of the
Garden Route.
Portuguese explorer
Bartolomeu Dias arrived here on
February 3 1488, thus proving to his sponsors that Africa had a southern tip; making it theoretically possible to sail from Europe to
India. Originally called by Dias
Aguada de São Brás (Bay of
Saint Blaise), the village/harbour was renamed Mosselbaai (Bay of Mussels) in
1601 by
Dutch navigator
Paulus van Caerden, as he found the bay to be abundant with
mussels. He also called a nearby bay, where he found cattle herders,
Vlees Bay (Bay of
Meat).
History
Nomadic
Khoisan people were the first inhabitants of the Mossel Bay area. Caves in which the remains of several Khoisan settlements have been found are located nearby, with the one located the starting point of the walking trail to the nearby town of
Dana Bay, now a national monument. A Khoisan cultural village is also located at the cave, but has been criticised for being "commercial". Other tribes also lived in the area, including the Gouriquas. Certain traditional leaders have asked that the town be renamed "Gouriqua". A more recent discovery at nearby Pinnacle Point is claimed to be the earliest evidence of human seaside settlement.
The first contact between Southern Africans and Europeans took place in Mossel Bay in 1488 between Dias and the Khoisan, on Santos Beach, now also called "Madiba" beach after former president
Nelson Mandela. The meeting was peaceful and both sides were willing to trade. Dias erected a cross, and called the bay Aguada de São Brás, as they landed on the festival day of
Saint Blaise.
The first trading between inhabitants of Europe and Southern African was in 1497 between
Vasco da Gama and the local Khoi-San tribe. In the following years, Portuguese sailors would use the bay, where the Khoi-San offered them food, as a halfway station to the Far East. A small stream was used for fresh water.
A large
milkwood tree served as a
post office with
Pedro de Ataide's
1500 posting of an important letter in a shoe under the tree. Important letters would be left in a shoe and picked up by later ships.
In
1500 or
1501 João da Nova erected the Mossel Bay Stone, which marked a chapel dedicated to
Saint Blaise.
The first settlers were granted land in Mossel Bay in
1729, 77 years after the Dutch settled in
Cape Town.
Dias Museum Complex
The Dias Museum Complex marks the spot of the historical landing of Dias. The 500 year old Post Office Tree, a national monument, can still be seen at the site, now harbouring a post box shaped as a shoe.
The original Mossel Bay Stone has been moved to the
National Cultural History Museum of South Africa, but a cast is in the collection of the Dias Museum.
Also located in the complex are the remnants of the spring used by sailors, although the stream now flows underground.
The Maritime Museum houses a replica of the
caravel on which Dias arrived. The caravel arrived in Mossel Bay in 1987, a gift from the Government of
Portugal. Another highlight is a map of Mossel Bay produced by early Dutch sailor,
Cornelius de Houtman in
1595. The Museum is housed in the old Saw Mill Building.
The Granary (now the entrance to the complex) includes an exhibition on the cultural life of
Cape Coloured communities in Mossel Bay during
apartheid. The Shirley Building hosts the shell museum and a small aquarium including a 476 kg
great white shark caught of the coast of nearby
Hartenbos. Munroshoek in the complex includes the oldest houses in town. Recently, the building in which a Cultural History Museum was housed for many years was sold and became a private arts centre.
Natural gas
Mossel Bay's economy has benefited significantly from its proximity to an offshore natural gas reserve. The gas is piped ashore to the 'Mosgas' (now PetroSA) refinery which was built in the 1980s adjacent to the town. The harbour has been used extensively for servicing these oil operations, including the maintenance of
oil platforms.
Facts
According to the
Guinness Book of World Records, Mossel Bay has the second mildest all-year climate in the world. The first is
Hawaii. The weather station at Cape St. Blaize has the following climate records:
- Jan max: 23.5°C (min: 18.2°C), Aug max: 18.3°C (min: 11.3°C); annual precipitation: 426 mm
The town also boasts the only north-facing beach in Southern Africa.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mossel Bay'.
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