SOUTHERN TIP WEEKEND AND RELAY RACE 11 May 2012 - Friday - Southern Tip Talk & Meal – Suiderlig Dienssentrum
- Bredenrode (1785): her resting place, artifacts and possible role in future tourism to the Overberg – Jimmy Herbert
12 May 2012 - Saturday - Traditional Basaar
- Southern Tip-Zoetendals Vallei Relay Race – Bosheuwel Precinct
ENTRY FOR FOR 2012 RELAY RACE CLICK HERE! BOSHEUWEL Registration for Relay Race:6:00 Relay Race starts:8:00 Bazaar:8:30 vir 9:00 Tables: Pancakes, Cakes, Pudding, Cooldrink, Roosterkoek, Craft, Warm meal, Coffee & Tea, Wine Coffee from:6:00 am Other activities: Jukskei, Toutrek, activities for children 10:00 Displays: Park & Projects10:00 Air force base, Overberg NSRI & Fire Brigade SAPS, Struisbaai Cape Nature Other IMPORTANT NOTICE! SOUTHERN TIP RELAY RACE - CANOEING LEG CANCELLED (RUNNING AND MOUNTAIN BIKE CONTINUING AS PLANNED) Due to extremely low water levels in the Nuwejaars River and prospective teams not able to find canoeists, we will be removing the canoeing leg of the Relay Race. Therefore it will only consist of the running and cycling legs. The entry fee of R150,00 will however stay the same. Thank you for your support and hope to see you all on 12 May 2012. 12 – 18 May 2012 - Mariner & Shipwreck Art Display – Suiderlig Dienssentrum
CONTACT: MOSIE 082 296 0144 EMMERENTIA 028 435 6078 There are a number of artists whose paintings will be displayed at the exhibition, namely, Mosie Hope, Rae Smit, Peet Zeeman, Roma Preller, Sam Marais, Graham Jahme, as well as other forms of art such as scrimshaw and ships in bottles by Noel Jacobs, a DVD with wreck footage by Martin van der Merwe, and items made from driftwood. There will also be a display of artefacts, books and unusual flotsam and jetsam by Piet van As, Meg Cowper-Lewis and items from the Shipwreck Museum. The exhibition will be open from 10h00 – 16h00 daily. Refreshments will be available from 12h00 – 14h00. 16 May 2012 18 May 2012 
   
Strandveld activities Visit Museums & Heritage Centres 1. Shipwreck Museum, Bredasdorp, 028 424 1240. Experience the treasures from old shipwrecks of yesteryear. Entrance fees: adults R20,00; children R10,00. Visiting hours: Mon-Thurs 9h00-16h30; Fri 9h00-15h45; Sat 10h00-15h45; Sun 11h00-15h45 2. Elim Heritage Centre, Elim, 028 482 1806. Take time to visit the Elim village and experience all the intriguing stories of old families and times gone by. While you are there, visit the tearoom in the old mill, the all-in-white church without a cross inside, attend a church meeting, listen to the choirs and enquire about the story of the old church clock – dating from the early 1800s – from Herrnhut in Germany. Visiting hours: Mon-Fri 9h00-17h00; Sat 9h00-13h00; Sun 14h00-16h00. Visit Cultural sites in Agulhas National Park 1. Cape Agulhas Lighthouse. Visit the second oldest and southernmost Lighthouse on the coast of the African continent. 2. Southernmost Tip of Africa. Visit the Southernmost Tip of Africa where two mighty oceans, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, meet. You are at the closest point on land to where the two oceans meet on 20° east in the southern seas. Facing the oceans, standing at the beacon, visualize the continent of Africa behind your back! Also give a thought to all the shipwrecks along the southern coast which gave it the name of Graveyard of Ships. 3. Rasperpunt Fish traps. Visit one of the important archaeological sites on the Agulhas Park coast, located to the west of the Southernmost Tip and accessible by walking along the coast. The name Rasperpunt is derived from the fact that the sharp rocks regularly cut the fishing lines of the anglers. Rasperpunt is as famous with local fishermen as it was 20 000 years ago. The fish traps located here are well-preserved but not used anymore. 4. Meishu Maru 38 shipwreck. Visit the only visible shipwreck on the Cape Agulhas coast. The Meishu Maru was a Taiwanese fishing trawler which wrecked at this spot on 16 November 1982. 5. The Saltpans. Visit this iconic spot of interest of Agulhas National Park, also called the Springfield Saltpans. Salt was the first mineral to be exploited in South Africa during colonial times and exploitation of salt on this pan ceased in the 1960s. The remains of the concentration and crystallisation ponds, production plant (factory) and manager’s (or caretaker’s homestead) are now part of the cultural heritage in the Agulhas NP. The Saltpans today is a very good seasonal birding spot. Hiking trails Contact: L’Agulhas Information office, 028 435 7185 1. Rasperpunt: circular trail of 5km. Fully marked out; start at shipwreck, along the coast and up onto the ridge; info booklet available at L’Agulhas Info office for R5,00. 2. Spookdraai: circular trail of 4km. Fully marked out; start on Main Rd L’Agulhas at road sign saying “Welcome to L’Agulhas – Southernmost Town in Africa”. First section of trail goes down Main Rd towards the Agulhas Country Lodge, then the ghosts will guide you to the coast and up the ridge. Check the view from the top of the ridge. Info booklet available at L’Agulhas Info office for R5,00. 3. Two Oceans Hiking trail: Three distances, 3km, 4,5km and 10,5km. Conservation fee from R22,00 per person applicable. Enquire at the Agulhas Park office, Main street, L’Agulhas, 028-4356078. Wine tasting Wine Boutique on the Shipwreck Coast, Ouwerf, Main Road, L’Agulhas Contact: Bettie de Klerk, 082 567 7858 Discover this little jewel of L’Agulhas and its variety of more than 55 cellars, specializing in the wines from the new southernmost wineries and selected inland wineries. Visiting hours: Fridays 9h00-19h00, Saturdays 9h00-17h00, Sundays 11h00-16h00. Visit the Elim Wineries 1. Black Oystercatcher, 086 666 7954/ 028 482 1618. Situated on the tarred road R317 from Bredasdorp to Elim. Wine tasting and sales from Mon-Fri 9h00-17h00 and Sat & Sun from 10h00-14h30. Reservations are essential at the Blackoystercatcher Restaurant overlooking the Nuwejaars River. Book from Mon-Sun 11h00-14h30 and treat yourself to their traditional food and great wines. 2. Zoetendal Winery, 028 482 1717. Situated 4km outside Elim on the tarred road R317 to Bredasdorp. Book in at Draaihoek Self-catering at the Zoetendal Winery estate and taste their Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and lovely red blends while you relax on the banks of the Nuwejaars River. Visiting hours: Mon-Fri 9h00-17h00; Sat 9h00-13h00 by appointment. 3. The Berrio, 028 482 1882. Praise the wind for propelling the Berrio – a caravel from Da Gama’s time – onto our shores, because the same winds allow our grapes more time on the vine, and that means a wine of greater intensity. Come and enjoy the taste and spirit of the wines of this intriguing corner of the southernmost tip of Africa. Visiting hours: Mon-Fri 9h00-1700; Sat by appointment only. 4. Strandveld Vineyards, 028 482 1906. Experience a most beautiful garden in an area where you least expect it. Note the circle in the garden showing the four different types of soil in which the vineyards grow, and visit the little graveyard behind the garden. Visiting hours: Mon-Thu 8h00-17h00; Fri 8h00-16h00; Sat 10h00-15h00. Visit Waydown Africa Adventure Centre Weather permitting, different kinds of bay cruises; kayak or bicycle or surfboard rentals, as well as tube rides are available. The beautiful Struisbaai Bay is just 200m away. Learn how to kite surf, or take a bay cruise. Have a look at Struisbaai from the sea, as the sun sets behind the dunes. Contact Malan Conradie, on Main Road, Struisbaai, 076 933 6333 / 082 372 3354. Struisbaai Harbour & Chukky Trips from Struisbaai Harbour Visit the harbour to see the old chukkies, the stingrays and marine birds. Contact Nicky 072 769 1629. Weather permitting, take a trip out into the bay with Nicky on Dagbreek – experiencing his pride in his old, private fishing boat. Birding 1.Struisbaai-Elim Birding Route. Self drive. Phone L’Agulhas Info office, 028 435 185 for more information, and where you can buy the Agulhas Birding Checklist for R10,00. From Struisbaai turn left onto the gravel road to Elim. 2.De Mond Estuary, 028 424 2170/ 079 693 5331 / 028 435 7185. A Ramsar World Wetland Site. Superb day picnic spots along the Heuningnes River. No pets allowed. Follow directions from the R319 (Bredasdorp to Struisbaai) or from the R318 (Bredasdorp to Arniston). Gates open from 7h00, but check closing times with the office. Entrance fee is approximately R30,00/adult. Follow the river to the coast (approximately 3km) or cross the suspension bridge and do the Sterna circular hiking trail of 7km. De Mond is a breeding place for the endangered Damara Tern. 3.Zoetendal Winery Bird Hide, 028 482 1717. Situated 4km outside Elim on the tarred road R317 to Bredasdorp. The bird hide is built on the banks of the Nuwejaars River. L’Agulhas Art Route on Main Rd L’Agulhas Beatrice Terreblanche, 028 435 7607: by appointment Southern Wright Gallery, 028 435 7094 Graham Jahme, 028 435 7743: internationally acclaimed artist Zeehuis, 082 788 8319: by appointment Ocean Art House, 083 331 3514: www.capeagulhas-arthouse.com Artists at Work at Seashell House, 028 435 7888 Buffalo in the Nuwejaars SMA Go to www.nuwejaars.com for this remarkable story. The Cape Buffalo that roamed this area 300 years ago were re-introduced in 2010. Phone 028 4821618/938 or 082 929 9904 for more information. Visit historical Springfield Estate Turn off on the gravel road from Struisbaai to Elim and take another turn onto the Brandfontein road. Phone Piet and Marie van As at 028 435 6603 to meet the man and storyteller who assisted Dalene Matthee with her final book, Uitgespoeldes or Driftwood which is about Strandveld history and culture. Experience Marie’s fine home cooking and baking. Southern Tip Cruise Contact: Nelmarie and Frederick Neethling, 082 870 2783, at Awesome Charters at Struisbaai Harbour, for the absolute experience of your life. Cruise past the southern tip of Africa and see what Bartolomeu Dias saw on 16th May 1488. Be aware that this is the place where the two mighty oceans, the Atlantic and Indian, officially meet. Imagine how terrifying to have been on a small wooden ship off the Cape of Storms in the 1400s! www.awesomefishing.co.za www.agulhas.org.za www.discovercapeagulhas.co.za www.nuwejaars.com | 
