Bloubergstrand History

Bloubergstrand is situated on the Blaauwberg Coast about 20 minutes drive from the Cape Town city centre and about 30 minutes drive from Cape Town's Airport.

Bloubergstrand, in Afrikaans, means "blue mountain beach" after Blouberg, a 331m high hill just inland from the coast which appears blue when viewed from the beach.

Bloubergstrand was first populated as an informal settlement for weekend and holiday getaways. In the early 1500s the first European visitor's to the Cape encountered the indigenous population, the Koi-Koi, which lived in the Blaauwbergstrand area.

European settlement started in Cape Town by Jan van Riebeeck when he first arrived on April 6, 1952. He was accompanied by 82 men and 8 women, his own wife amongst them. They had been instructed to establish a strong base to provide the Company's ships with fresh groceries, mainly meat and vegetables on the long journey from Europe to Asia. First of all, van Riebeeck's men erected the "Fort de Goede Hoop" for their own protection, and they laid out a large garden and started to grow fruit and vegetables. They tried to obtain the meat provisions through trade with the natives.

The Khoikhoi, also called Hottentots, were forced to recede, although they strongly resisted the expansion of the Cape settlers. In 1659, a Khoikhoi uprising resulted in complete defeat, and they had to retreat to the north. In 1688, a large group of French Huguenots who were fleeing religious persecution at home, settled at the Cape.

The Battle of Blaauwberg

Also known as the Battle of Cape Town, fought near Cape Town, it was a small but significant military engagement. It established British rule in South Africa, which was to have many ramifications during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At that time, the Cape Colony belonged to the French controlled Netherlands (then called the Batavian Republic). Because the sea route around the Cape was important to the British, they decided to seize the colony in order to prevent it—and the sea route—for also coming under French control. The colony was governed by Lt Gen Jan Willem Janssens, who was also commander-in-chief of its military forces. The forces were small and of poor quality, and included foreign units hired by the Batavian government for the purpose. They were backed up by local militia units.

A British fleet was despatched to the Cape in July 1805, to forestall French troopships which Napoleon had sent to reinforce the Cape garrison. The first British warship reached the shores on Christmas eve, 1805, and attacked two supply ships off the Cape Peninsula. After a delay caused by rough seas, two British infantry brigades, under command of Lt Gen Sir David Baird, landed at Melkbosstrand, north of Cape Town, on 6 and 7 January 1806. On the morning of 8 January, while the slow-moving columns were still moving through the veld, Baird's brigades began their march to Cape Town, and reached the slopes of the Blaauwberg mountain (now spelled "Blouberg").

The battle began at sunrise, with exchanges of artillery fire. They were followed by an advance by Janssens's militia cavalry, and volleys of musket fire from both sides. Then, one of Janssens's hired foreign units, in the centre of his line, turned and ran from the field. A British bayonet charge disposed of the units on Janssens's right flank, and he ordered his remaining troops to withdraw. Janssens began the battle with 2,049 troops, and lost 353 in casualties and desertions. Baird began the battle with 5,399 men, and had 212 casualties.

From Blaauwberg, Janssens moved inland to a farm in the Tygerberg area, and from there his troops moved inland to the Elands Kloof in the Hottentots-Holland mountains, about 50km from Cape Town. The British forces reached the outskirts of Cape Town on 9 January. To spare the town and its civilian population from attack, the commandant of Cape Town, Lieutenant-Colonel Hieronymus Casimir von Prophalow sent out a white flag. He handed over the outer fortifications to Baird, and terms of surrender were negotiated later in the day.

The newest addition to our shores

On 7 September 2009, a 77 meter Turkish bulk coal carrier ship ran aground after some bad weather and failed engines. Her last Port of call was Durban and she was lying at anchor in Table Bay waiting for engine repairs. Known as the Cape of Storms, this part of the country's coastline is particularly treacherous for ships, claiming victims almost every year.

The Beach

Bloubergstrand has a long white sand beach on the Atlantic ocean, with a few rocky outcrops where black mussels are found. The water is cold due to the cold Benguela current but the beach is popular with surfers. The bay on the west side of Bloubergstrand, known as 'Big Bay' has become a very popular kitesurfing spot due to the constant trade winds bringing a 1-3m surf for a majority of the year. Big Bay Beach is also well known for the ease with which White Mussels ( as species of the family Donax) can be extracted from the sand by a process locally known as 'jiving'.

Sea Life

The Bloubergstrand area falls within a Marine Nature Reserve and diving for delicacies such as Jasus lalandii (also called the Cape rock lobster or West Coast rock lobster) and "perlemoen" or abalone are not allowed. To catch previously well-known local varieties of Galjoen and Hottentot, the hopeful angler has to be in possession of a license. Seafood is popular including the local white mussels. In season Southern Right Whales, occasionally Killer Whales, Humpback Dolphins, Haviside's Dolphin and Cape Fur Seals are commonly seen in the bay.

Local Traditions

The past continues in certain areas. Local licensed fishermen still use a small local design of rowing boat to put their nets out in Small Bay for mullet when the temperature and other conditions are favorable. They retrieve their nets manually, after which the fortunate locals buy this delicacy directly from them. A traditional way of cooking the “Harders” or Mullets after cleaning it at the waters edge with the seabirds enjoying a free meal, is to make a wood fire, put lots of salt on the external skin and then to “braai” or grill it to taste. The Mullet has quite a few small bones and needs to be carefully digested together with freshly baked bread or pap from maize, enhanced with a regional traditional jam. Sometimes another local delicacy, “braaibrood”, replaces the freshly baked bread. “Blouberg Braaibrood” consists of 2 slices of white, whole wheat or brown bread, on the outside, barbecued with onion, Mrs Balls chutney, tomato and cheese on the inside. Streetnames in the Village of Bloubergstrand, since the early days, bear the names of well-known people i.e. General Sir David Baird, General Jansens, Commodore Sir Popham, General Ferguson and locals such as the family Stadler.