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In the Beginning…
Anerley
The oldest of the three villages comprising Bendigo was named by Mr.
Edward Holmes in 1915 after his birthplace in England. A large amount
of Anerley was owned by Mr. J.M. Stephen who arrived in the area in 1919.
He named his first home Las Palmas after his Birthplace. Subsequently
Las Palmas changed hands and is now Anerley Place. In 1953 the Women's
Institute was resuscitated and at the first meeting some of the ladies
suggested it be named the S.A.S. Institute, which name was made up of
Southport, Anerley and Sunwich Port, but this was not accepted and it
was then named the Bendigo Women's Institute.
Southport
At the suggestion of Mrs. McNab the township was named Southport, after
her home town in England. The township was originally laid out between
1920 and 1923, and in 1924 there were only five houses, built on rondavel
design by Mr. Weightman, the architect being Mr. Porter.These original
five homes still exist.The first hotel was named the Edinburgh Hotel and
was run By Mrs. Gall, Dr. McNab's sister. Consisting of five rooms originally,
it was later extended and renamed the Southport Hotel.
The first Southport Police station was built next door to the Southport
Store and the first offenders were housed in cells at the back of the
house.Today we have a fine red brick Police station,the entire Bendigo
area is policed by the Southport Police station.
Southport now is a flourishing village and has lovely residences with
a fine business centre consisting of Butchery, Garage, Hairdresser, Store
,delightful Beach Tea Pavilion set in beautiful shady lawns with a wishing
well, and an up to date Hotel.
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Port Shepstone
North Shepstone (3400 acres) was accessible only by boat. South Shepstone
was the name given to the southern piece of (1000 acres) reserved for
a township. It retained this name until 1928 when for simplicity sake
the name South Shepstone was dropped and the whole area south of the Umzimkulu's
Mouth became known as Port Shepstone. By 1881 the area around the Umzimkulu
River had attracted many settlers.
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Shelly Beach
With its large up market centers and malls, Shelly Beach is the KwaZulu-Natal
South Coast’s regional shopping Mecca. At the Shelly Centre, in air-conditioned
comfort, you can find and buy just about anything you may need. In addition
to Shelly Centre there is the newly built South Coast mall which offers
ample parking space, a variety of shops and up market restaurants and
coffee shops with views of the ocean.
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St Michaels-on-Sea
Developed as one of the many seaside resorts along KwaZulu-Natal`s South
Coast, St Michaels was eventually incorporated into the Uvongo Municipality
in 1954.
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Uvongo
Uvongo takes its name from the iVungu River, so named by the Zulus for
the sound of the wind rushing through its steep-sided gorges. It was initially
the farm of T.C. Lilliecrona who, being a surveyor, laid out the town
himself. Here you can find one of the best beaches on the South Coast
and the beautiful Uvongo falls.
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Manaba Beach
The name Manaba stemmed from the Zulu term for great ease and relaxation,
which you will soon discover upon visiting this picturesque little sea
side town.
Margate
Margate took its name from the original farm bought there in 1919 by
a Mr. Hugh Balance, who paid a measly £466 for it. It was hardly
suitable for farming, but decided to purchase it for “its beautiful
beach and congenial scenery” By 1921 he realized that farming was
not to be its destiny, and sub-divided the land into half-acre plots to
establish a township which he initially called Inkongweni after the local
river- “the place of entreatement” in Zulu.
Due to the areas extreme isolation, initial sales were rare, but then
a remarkable event occurred that would alter Margate and Balances futures
forever. During the winter of 1922 a strange occurrence took place off
what is now known as Margate Beach. This event made international headlines
and as fate would have it, put this struggling township firmly on the
map.
The tale goes that people witnessed two whales fighting against a monster
‘polar bear’. The creature eventually lost the battle and was
washed up to shore. It was reported that this white furred, bear-like
thing was 14.3m in length, 3m wide with a 5 foot trunk and 3m tail. It
remained on the beach for about two weeks and undoubtedly attracted a
lot of attention before being swept away by the next spring tide. What
a shame that there were no cameras to capture this historical event!
Whether this tale is fact or fiction, the reality still remains that
this event turned a struggling township into one of the most exciting
holiday destinations South Africa has to offer.
Margate offers its visitors a wide variety of accommodation no matter
what your age, budget or preference may be. From cozy B&B`s with that
special personalized touch, through to comfortable self-catering accommodation,
rambling guest houses, well equipped lodges, established hotels and well
maintained camping and caravanning sites.
This bustling town has a vast selection of fine restaurants, inviting
pubs, and fast food outlets. And for those seeking a bit of the night
life it doesn’t get more festive than Margate.
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Ramsgate
Ramsgate also derived its name from the original farm. One of its initial
residents, a well-traveled and artistic Paul Buck, whiled away his time
writing, painting, building violins and raising tropical fish. Aptly enough
he preferred calling this spot ‘Blue Lagoon’.
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Southbroom
With a sizeable hill dominating its topography the region was initially
called ‘Outlook’. This was eventually replaced in 1883 by a
Mr. Alfred Eyles whose farm was called Southbroom Hall after his family’s
English estate. Today Southbroom still exudes that typical old upper-crust
understatement and serenity.
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Port Edward
Bordered on the south by the large Mthamvuma River-Zulu for “the
reaper of mouthfuls” – Port Edward marks the southernmost extremity
of the South Coast and boasts several interesting tourist attraction,
including golden beaches, some of the best fishing spots, coffee estates
such as the well known Beaver Creek, a number of excellent restaurants
that just exude the local hospitality, arts and crafts shops and of course
the Wild Coast Sun Casino.
The town was initially known as ‘Kennington’ after T. ‘Ken’
Pringle, one of its early residents. The settlement was in later times
renamed Port Edward in honour of the then Prince of Wales. A long-established
coffee growing region, the first plantings in and around Port Edward took
place in 1866 and continue to this day.
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Shining Beacons of Light
The South Coast has four lighthouses standing tall and constant warning
passing ships of the dangers of sailing too close to the rugged coastline.
Port Shepstone lighthouse is situated on the southern bank of the Umzimkulu
River, which once served as a signal station for the old Port Shepstone
harbour. Today the complex houses a curio shop and tourist information
centre.
North Sand Bluff lighthouse is a new structure commissioned in 1999 which
has replaced the original aluminum lattice structure in Port Edward. Go
and visit the shipwreck museum and then pop in for a bite to eat at the
Lighthouse restaurant.
Green Point Lighthouse is located halfway between Umkomaas and Scottburgh
and stands guard over the notorious Aliwal Shoal, a submerged mass of
rock which stretches 4 km long and 1 km wide, and is only 5 km from the
beach which makes it a very popular scuba-diving spot.
Ifafa lighthouse was established in 1980 and enables ship captains to
plot a safe course around Aliwal Shoal.
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