It’s said moving is the most traumatic experience after the death of a spouse and divorce. If I didn’t get out the house soon one, or both, of these supposedly more stressful occurrences were likely to occur soon. I took off to survey my new surrounds before either happened.
I decide to explore Velddrif and Laaiplek (two individual settlements of yore, now virtually merged into one) just 30km away from our new home in Britannia Bay. I’ve ridden and driven through both towns often, but I’ve stopped there only for fish and chips and continued onward. This time I’m holing up for two nights at the Laaiplek Hotel on the Berg River, between the fish factory and the wharf that gave the settlement its name.
The hotel is built on the property that belonged to west coast mega-entrepreneur Carel Stephan, a merchant, land baron, wheat exporter and fisheries owner, whose 19th century mercantile exploits were perhaps only rivalled by the Barry family on the Breede River.
Crossing into town over the many-arched Carinus Bridge (1950) I think of the farmers that persuaded their livestock to cross here on the ebb tide; long before the first hand drawn pont was introduced in the early 1900s. Just before this, English explorer John Barrow apparently crossed the river on a “bridge” of empty wine vats on his trip into SA’s interior.
Desperate to exorcise the melee of moving boxes from my mind’s eye, I make straight for one of the many birding sites dotted around the Berg River. The tidal movement between the Atlantic and the river has created many different habitats that foster a multitude of birdlife (about 220 species), making the Berg River estuary (a Ramsar site) one of the most important wetlands in SA.
It’s around midday when I stroll to the end of the boardwalk off the Piketberg road (R399). The salt marsh strains all sorts of nutrients and other elements from the channels of water meandering through them as they head upstream on the flood tide. It’s certainly not an optimum time for birding, but I still collect several good sightings: little egrets; blacksmith lapwings; a pied kingfisher; and black-winged stilts among them. My appetite whet, I look forward to the bird watching cruise I’ve booked tomorrow.
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On my way to check out the exclusive Port Owen Yacht Club, I meet a notable west coast character. “Die Kaas Oom” (AKA Renier) is surrounded by strings of bokkoms, the dried, salted and stinky harders this region is famous for. While friendly, I sense this sun-hardened farmer-merchant can smell “bulldust” and city pretentiousness a mile off.
The Port Owen Yacht Club’s marina houses many impressive-looking yachts. It’s clearly the preserve of the elite. Opposite the club, a salmon and green-coloured salt marsh bristles with birds; it stretches between me and my destination, the wharf of Laaiplek and its eponymous hotel.
Before checking in, I buy an epic fish burger from Doepies and drive past the trawlers in Laaiplek harbour. I’m on my way to the harbour’s sea wall where I plan to eat my lunch. Constructed in 1966, the new harbour entrance replaced the narrow river mouth and its shifting sandbar, which made accessing Laaiplek so hazardous for the shipping of yesteryear.
Next to the red light at the end of the breakwater, I meet a taciturn fisherman. I eventually learn he’s trying to catch garrick or white steenbras, but he’s only pulled out a handful of small klipvisse so far. Yet his eyes shine with a meditative contentment.
Apart from its attractive setting, the grounds of the Laaiplek Hotel are also home to the SA Fisheries Museum, something I discover the next morning. Over the years it’s moved from the V&A Waterfront to Hout Bay Harbour, but has now settled in Laaiplek at the centre of St Helena Bay, the nexus of SA’s R11.6bn a year canned fish industry.
Lokkie van Zyl, author of Velddrif se Stories, tells us that from 1704, when the first grazing licences were granted to Dutch Free Burghers, their servants and slaves fished in the Berg River, and on the beaches of Soverby (near Dwarskersbos), purely for their own consumption. But bigger landowners had contracts to supply fish to the VOC in Cape Town and by the early 1800s local farmers’ sons had established themselves here to make a living from fishing.
The museum’s displays tell of the history and growth of SA’s fishing industry, with much emphasis on the pioneers who began to can crayfish in the region in the early 1900s.
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After leaving the museum I visit a souvenir store in the harbour and then a few interesting bric-a-brac and collectibles shops in town before driving to nearby Dwarskersbos. En route, stories I’d heard about the greater St Helena Bay region being the fastest-growing area in the southern hemisphere gain credence from the number of new housing estates I see; and it’s the same deal in Dwarskersbos.
On the way back I pull off the main road at one of the many short side routes to the beach. For kilometres on either side of this white sand and small-wave coastline there are fishermen and families spaced 100m apart, enjoying the peace and safety that so many from up north have apparently moved here for.
My bird watching cruise leaves from the jetty in the grounds of the Riviera Hotel. It’s full of women in good cheer and the skipper seems glad to have some male company aboard.
Our first find is a barn owl that has taken refuge under one of the nearby Carinus Bridge’s arches. As we cruise down the oily bronzed calm of one of SA’s most navigable rivers, the number of river birds we see are not only legion, but the sightings are prolonged and close-up. Among them are little grebes, greater flamingos, a black crowned night heron, African spoonbills and a purple heron.
Yet, just past the historic Bokkom Laan, where the centuries old harder fishermen’s houses still stand, we have the sighting of the trip. Between some riverside mansions’ jetties, an African darter surfaces with a sizeable fish it’s just speared — money-shot in the bag.
Travel Notes
Getting there: Laaiplek is 145km north of Cape Town, reached via the N7, R45 and R27.
What to do here: Velddrif and Laaiplek offer many nature activities, the two most popular being fishing and birding, but canoeing, boating and sailing on the Berg River are also enjoyed. In addition, beach strollers can walk all the way to Dwarskersbos (about 12km) and beyond.
Where I stayed: Laaiplek Hotel — this authentic old county hotel offers great value for money, good food, and picturesque river and harbour views, and the service comes with a smile.
Suggested further reading: Velddrif se Stories by Lokkie van Zyl (available at the Harbour Market); Discovering Southern Africa by TV Bulpin and Something Rich and Strange by L Green.
Best time of year to go: February to November.
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