Kalk Bay

Province

Kalk Bay (also: Kalkbay; Afrikaans: Kalkbaai ) is a fishing village on the False Bay a suburb of Cape Town in South Africa's Western Cape province. In 2011 he had 700 inhabitants. The name was inspired village because here in lime kilns was made in the 18th century, which was an important raw material for the building of houses in the Cape. They used the quicklime especially in Bo -Kaap, a predominantly Muslim inhabited quarter of Cape Town in order to plaster the houses. The lime was obtained from shells that were found in large quantities on the beach.

History

The harbor of Kalk Bay won for the first time in meaning, as in 1742 the Dutch East India Company decided to use the neighboring Simon 's Town as a winter anchorage for their fleet. Since there was no road link between Cape Town and Simon 's Town at the time, the goods that were necessary for the maintenance of the fleet and the expansion of the village, were supplied with ox carts to Kalk Bay, where they were loaded onto boats to be shipped to Simon 's Town to be. On the way back to Cape Town, the oxcart lime and fish transported to Cape Town. When in 1795 the Cape was a British colony, the new government had a good motorable road to Simon's Town to build so that the Kalk Bay harbor lost its meaning.

In 1820, the whaling provided a brief upturn, but came to an abrupt end when the whale right whale was almost eradicated in 1835 in False Bay. 1840, moved a Philippine ship crew in Kalk Bay on after their vessel in False Bay had set, and earned their livelihood from now on with the fishing. Over the years, the Philippine fishing community enlarged. Even today, many of their descendants live in Kalk Bay. The train connections to Cape Town in 1883 transformed the small fishing village. Since it was now possible to work in Cape Town and to live in Kalk Bay, many new houses were built, so that the population increased.

The Philippine fishermen survived in 1950, although the Group Areas Act of the apartheid and were not like other " non-whites " resettled in the townships of Cape Town. Overfishing of False Bay, which steadily increased since 1955, but withdrew later Thank livelihoods.

Economy

The fishing is still an important source of income. But it will no longer operate as intense as the mid-20th century. Since the train connections to Cape Town Tourism has become increasingly important.

Attractions

For tourists and locals Kalk Bay is now known primarily as a charming and trendy seaside village. One finds in Kalk Bay, many antique shops, art galleries, fashion boutiques, jewelry stores and restaurants. In the mountains above the village there are large sandstone caves.

For surfers the Kalk Bay Reef is known for its big waves, especially in strong northwesterly winds. Between July and November can be observed off the coast of southern right whales and humpback whales lime Bays.

Traffic

Kalk Bay is located on the M4 Motorway. The town has a station on the Southern Line Metrorail Cape Town.