Mossel Bay. Do Stuff: Speaker notes

Mossel Bay. Do stuff Mossel Bay Tourism www.visitmosselbay.co.za 1

Speaker Notes Mossel Bay 2014 Slide #

Notes: This isn’t a script! It’s a series of notes designed to provide the information you need in order to talk knowledgeably and off-the-cuff. Please read the appendices for detailed background information.

• Bold = slide description; • Italics = additional information

1 Mossel Bay . Do Stuff • Why do we call Mossel Bay the ‘Do stuff’ destination? • Because there’s so much to do here - includung doing

absolutely nothing at all. It’s a great place for doing nothing at all – very important in our stressed-out, speeded-up digital age.

Please see our ‘Things to do’ brochure for details of local attractions. Downloadable .pdf: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/images/downloads/things-to-do-mossel-bay-may-2014.pdf

2 Maps • Mossel Bay is situated on South Africa’s Garden Route

Coast • It’s equidistant from the provincial capitals of Cape

Town (Western Cape) and Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape) – each 400 km away by road (beautiful scenic drive)

• Closest airport – George (40 km from Mossel Bay) 3 Unique Location

• Mossel Bay’s position relative to the warm Agulhas

Current and the Agulhas Bank of the Indian Ocean, and relative to the coast and the Outeniqua Mountains, creates a unique tourism playground – a combination sea, beaches, mountain and fynbos

• This makes for wonderful weather, and provides a rich canvas on which our attractions are built

For a an overview of the fynbos, please see Appendix 1 below ‘Mossel Bay : floral treasures’

4 Game watching and nature reserves • Numerous private game farms and reserves offer guided

game drives, game watching, children’s programmes, and other wilderness experiences

• Gondwana Game Reserve has the Big 5 (Elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo)

5 Lily pond • The vegetation of the area is highly diverse – quiet

ponds like this one at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve offer great bird watching

See Appendix II ‘Birding in Mossel Bay ’


6 Zebra • Local reserves are stocked with large numbers of plains

animals • The Zebra (like the bontebok) is often associated with

the fynbos. • In the background of this shot: rare black impala at

Botlierskop See Appendix III: ‘Game Watching in Mossel Bay ’

7 Beaches • The municipal area includes more than 60 km of sandy

beaches • Mossel Bay enjoys more than 320 days of sunshine per year

– and the weather is mild even in winter - so almost every day’s a beach day in Mossel Bay

• Average temperatures Day Night Summer (September - April) 26° C 12° C Winter (May - August) 19° C 8° C

8 4 Seasonal Blue Flag Beaches • Image: the Santos Pavilion on Santos Beach – a historic

sandstone building said to have been inspired by similar beach pavilions in Brighton. It was built 1906; destroyed by fire in 1979, and subsequently restored. It now houses a restaurant and private apartments.

• Mossel Bay ’s Blue Flag Beaches: o de Bakke Beach o Santos Beach o Hartenbos Beach o Kleinbrakrivier Beach

9 Adrenaline

• Mossel Bay was built for adrenaline junkies – the weather

and natural environment make it ideal for marine, land, and aerial adventures

• Some adventures are quite soft (whale watching, marine safaris, game drives, birding) – others are quite extreme (shark cage diving, scuba diving sand boarding, tandem skydiving)

• Stable weather, relatively quiet skies, and close proximity to the controlled airspace around George Airport make Mossel Bay perfect for pilot training. International fixed wing and helicopter pilot training schools have been established at Mossel Bay Airport (in fact Mossel Bay boasts South Africa’s largest helicopter training base)

10 Tandem skydiving


11 Whale and dolphin watching • The Bay is beautifully protected, and just the right

depth for southern right whales which migrate here to mate and calve - usually from about May to September

• Humpback Whales (also migratory) are often seen from about June to October

• If you’re lucky, you could see whales or dolphins at any time of year - including orcas (killer whales), Bryde’s whales, humpback- and bottlenose dolphins

• Excellent land-based viewing from almost any elevated position (the Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse and the St Blaize Trail – which follows the 30 m contour on the cliffs west of the lighthouse – are particularly good for whale and dolphin watching)

• The whale watching boat Romonza offers government licensed boat-based whale watching and marine safaris

12 Golf • Two championship courses:

o Pinnacle Point Beach & Golf Resort o Mossel Bay Golf Club

• Both 18 holes, par-72 with excellent club houses, cart hire, pro shops, practice facilities

• Both are friendly, welcoming to visitors • Both have wonderful views of the sea • There’s a resident herd of springbuck on the Mossel Bay

course!

13 Theatre Art Crafts • As we’ll see in the next slide, Mossel Bay is now

recognised as the birthplace of culture – so it’s not surprising that the town has a vibrant cultural life

• Theatres include the Bravo Lounge and The Barn Mossel Bay (generally music and entertainment); and The Monroe Theatre (Old-style movies)

• The Mossel Bay Art Route is an on-line resource detailing the arts, crafts, gourmet food and drink, museums, festivals and archaeology of the town. Many of the artists and crafters welcome visitors to their studios www.mosselbayart.co.za


14 History • Excavations and research into the Middle Stone Age

deposits of the Pinnacle Point Caves, 12 km from the city centre, have revealed that modern human behaviour emerged in the Mossel Bay / Southern Cape area around 162,000 years ago.

• Mossel Bay archaeologist Dr. Peter Nilssen and Cape Town-based consulting archaeologist Jonathan Kaplan discovered the deposits in the Caves in the late 1990s during a routine survey which formed part of the environmental impact assessment that took place prior to the construction of the Pinnacle Point Golf & Beach Estate

• The SACP4 Project (South African Coastal Palaeoclimate, Palaeoenvironment, Palaeoecology and Palaeoanthropology Project), which is studying the findings in the Caves, is now the biggest scientific project of its kind in the world. It includes more than 50 scientists from around the world working under Professor Curtis Marean, an associate director of the Institute of Human Origins and professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University

• Work on the Caves began in 2000 and is expected to continue for many years to come

• Planning has begun for the construction of a major museum and interpretive centre to make the story of modern human beginnings accessible to all

See Appendix IV ‘162,000 years of holidays in Mossel Bay ’ 15 Birthplace of art & culture

• The cave shown here is Pinnacle Point 13B – it’s one of a

series of caves which the SACP4 Project is focusing on. (The study has recently been extended as far as Knysna, 120 km to the east, and the Swartberg Mountains, 90 km to the north of Pinnacle Point)

• Mossel Bay and the Southern Cape region are now recognised as the place where humans first began

o Systematically harvesting the sea; o Making complex tools (embedding tiny, precisely

formed stone blades into other media like wood or bone) and using fire to improve the quality of the stone used in tool making (both of which puts Mossel Bay as the birthplace of advanced technology); and

o Using ochre as paint – possibly for symboling (which puts Mossel Bay as the birthplace of culture)

• The archaeology of Mossel Bay is significant, too, because the Caves have revealed a picture of the climate over the period 400,000 to 30,000 years ago, while at the same time containing the longest record of human habitation anywhere on earth – so this is the one place where scientists can study how human behaviour has adapted to climate change over great periods of time.

See Appendix IV ‘162,000 years of holidays in Mossel Bay ’


16 Modern era: the last 500 years • Images from the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex

o A replica of Dias’ ship (caravel) is now dry-docked in the Maritime Museum

o The Post Office Tree and a statue of Dias o A display of specimens picked from the fynbos (the

display is changed throughout the year using flowers in season)

• South Africa’s modern era began when Bartolomeu Dias (Portuguese navigator) became the first European navigator to land on our shores (3 February, 1488)

See Appendix V: ‘The Dias Museum Complex’ See Appendix VI: ‘The Post Office Tree’

17 Entertainment • Mossel Bay isn’t only for history buffs and culture

vultures: it’s a 21st century town that offers entertainment for all

• Mossel Bay ’s programme of summertime entertainment (December-January) attracts some of South Africa’s biggest stars of stage, screen, music, comedy

18 Accommodation • Mossel Bay ’s varied landscape also offers many different

types of accommodation in many different styles • Mossel Bay is unique because it offers beachfront

accommodation across the budget spectrum – from camping to luxury hotels. (Beachfront accommodation isn’t reserved just for the wealthy)

• It also offers traditional mountain holidays, caravanning and camping, etc. – in town, in the surrounding suburbs and villages, and in the countryside

Please see our ‘Where to stay’ brochure for details of all member accommodation. Downloadable .pdf: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/images/downloads/accommodation-brochure-2013.pdf

19 Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse and The Point Hotel Mossel Bay ’s accommodation inventory:

o Hotels - about 700 beds o Guest houses, B&Bs - about 1,400 beds o Resorts, camping, caravanning & private self-catering

accommodation - about 35,000 beds (the ATKV-Hartenbos Resort is the largest self-catering establishment in the Western Cape Province)

o Backpackers - about 80 beds

20 Guest house Slides 20 to 23 provide an idea of the cross-section of accommodation available • 5 star seafront luxury • (This pic: African Oceans Manor on the Beach)


21 Thatched bedroom • Self-catering accommodation • (This pic: Sandpiper Cottages in Boggomsbaai – a quiet

seaside village)

22 Hotel • 4 star full-service hotel room • (This pic: The Point Hotel)

23 Food & Wine

• One of the important reasons humans managed to survive in

the Mossel Bay area 162,000 years ago was because of the seafood that they found and began harvesting here

• The omega-3 fatty acids in the seafood helped the physical development of our modern brains

• Mossel Bay remains a great place for foodies! • What might surprise is that Mossel Bay also produces

excellent wines.

24 Seafood platter • Mossel Bay remains famous for its seafood after 162,000

years – but now our restaurants offer much more than just oysters and mussels (although Mossel Bay is one of South Africa’s most important exporters of wild - naturally occurring – oysters)

• Food styles in local restaurant include traditional South African, Mediterranean, Indian, Chinese, etc.

• Mossel Bay also has a fine tradition of baking, coffee shops, and craft foods like handmade cheeses (information on www.mosselbayart.co.za)

25 Vineyards • Mossel Bay ’s Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar produces award-

winning desert and table wines from grapes grown in its vineyards in the Herbertsdale area

• 8 different wines: o Mount Cuvée (a pinotage / merlot blend); o River Cuvée (Chenin Blanc / Sauvignon Blanc); o La Perlé Rosé; o Pinotage Coffee Edition; o Cabernet sauvignon; o Sauvignon blanc o Hanepoot o Red muscadel

• Awards include o Hanepoot = champion sweet wine at the 2009 South

African Young Wine Show o Red muscadel = champion sweet wine at the 2010

South African Young Wine Show o Hanepoot = silver medal at the 2012 South African

Young Wine Show o Red muscadel = bronze medal at the 2012 South

African Young Wine Show


• Gesondheid! Your very good health! Prost!

See Appendix VII: ‘Mossel Bay’s Jakkalsvlei brings home great grape harvest’

26 Thanks for visiting us

Mossel Bay Tourism

• General information; brochures and maps; bookings for accommodation and attractions; open seven days a week.

• Corner of Market and Church Streets (in the Central Business District), Mossel Bay

• Telephone: +27(0)44 691 2202 • Fax: +27(0)44 690 3077 • URL: www.visitmoosselbay.co.za • e-mail: [email protected] • GPS: 34o 10.876 South; 22o 8.578 East


Appendix 1 Mossel Bay : floral treasures Most people think of the vegetation of Mossel Bay as ‘fynbos’ – and in a general sort of way they’re correct. But of course the scientific reality is much more interesting. The word fynbos (or Cape macchia) is commonly used to describe many of the plants of the Cape Floristic Kingdom – which is the smallest of the world’s six floral kingdoms, and the only one that’s situated within the borders of a single country. But it’s also used to describe the entire biome or ecosystem (biomes are defined in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biome as “contiguous areas with similar climatic conditions”). So it can get confusing... The Cape Floristic Kingdom (or the South African Floristic Kingdom) is remarkable for being home to more than 8,700 species of plants – of which 68% occur here and nowhere else on Earth. And it covers just 6% of South Africa’s land area - although it accounts for more than 30% of all the plant species found within its borders. About 7,000 species in the Cape region belong to the fynbos group, which is characterised by the restios (or Cape reeds), the heathers (Ericas), and the proteas – while a further 1,000 belong to the renosterveld group, which is characterised by the renosterbos (Elytropappus rhinocerotis) and other members of the daisy family, and which includes members of the pea family, the gardenia family, and the thyme family. Interestingly, the two groups are associated with different soil types, and historically supported different groups of wildlife: the fynbos grows on poor soils and can’t support much large game – although it’s home to most of the Cape’s endemic amphibians, birds, and mammals. The Renosterveld previously supported all the large animals associated with the Cape (buffalo, elephant, etc.) – many of which disappeared from the Province during the 20th Century, but have recently been reintroduced into conservation areas. According to the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI), http://bgis.sanbi.org/municipalities/summaries.asp?muni=WC043 three biomes are represented in Mossel Bay :

• Albany Thicket - which covers 7.13% of the municipal area, • Succulent Karoo - 0.52% of the municipal area; and • Fynbos – which covers 185,566.2 ha, or 92.28% of the municipal

area. The plant life within these biomes is divided into 20 different vegetation types – the largest of which are the South Outeniqua Sandstone Fynbos (17,37% of the municipal area), and Mossel Bay Shale Renosterveld (17.14%). Where and when to see the flowers There’s always something in flower in Mossel Bay – but the fynbos flowers best in winter: from May to September. The ericas, proteas, and pincushions (including the Mossel Bay pincushion, Leucospermum


praecox) begin flowering in about May, the aloes come out in June, and the geophytes (the bulbous plants) seem to prefer spring (September and October).

• Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/museums-and-culture/bartolomeu-dias-museum-complex set in a large indigenous field garden, and built around the Post Office Tree (the world’s oldest posting station!). There’s a live specimen display http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/museums-and-culture/live-specimen-display which is regularly restocked with fresh flowering plants – all correctly labeled for easy identification – and a Braille Trail, http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/museums-and-culture/ethno-botanical-garden-amp-braille-trail which is designed to introduce everyone to the fynbos of the area.

• Botlierskop Private Game Reserve: www.botlierskop.co.za scheduled departure game-watching safaris;

• Gardens of the Garden Route: http://www.gardenroutegardens.co.za/ online guide to what’s on and which (and when) private gardens are open to the public.

• Garden Route Botanical Garden: http://www.botanicalgarden.org.za/ situated in the City of George (40 km from Mossel Bay ); includes the Southern Cape Herbarium, a botanical library, indigenous plant nursery, and tea garden. Features fynbos, wetlands and a medicinal mound planted with indigenous species believed to have healing properties.

• Garden Route Game Lodge: http://www.grgamelodge.co.za/ game-watching safaris; children’s programmes;

• Gondwana Game Reserve: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/game-reserves/hartenbos-private-game-lodge 11,000 fynbos reserve; game watching, children’s programmes

• Hartenbos Game Lodge: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/game-reserves/hartenbos-private-game-lodge fynbos reserve, game watching;

• Nyaru Game Lodge: http://www.nyarugame.co.za/bird-watching/ fynbos reserve, game watching;

• Outeniqua Nature Reserve: http://www.capenature.co.za/reserves/outeniqua-nature-reserve/: 38,000 hectare reserve in the Outeniqua Mountains. Habitats include fynbos, Afro-montane forests (or ‘Knysna forest’), and semi-arid Karoid scrub. The Robinson Pass (Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn) passes through this reserve: it’s a particularly good drive in winter when the proteas and ericas are in bloom.

Resources

• PlantZAfrica: http://www.plantzafrica.com/vegetation/fynbos.htm Discussion of the differences between fynbos & renosterveld


Appendix II Birding in Mossel Bay What makes birding in Mossel Bay so rewarding? Habitats. The municipal area of Mossel Bay (a little more than 2,000 square kilometres) includes a vast array of natural habitats: sandy beaches, rocky shores, estuaries and rivers, fynbos-covered coastal plains, the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains, and, of course, the marine environment of the bays themselves (Mossel Bay to the east of Cape St. Blaize, and Vleesbaai to the west). And the cultivated fields of the farms, and the water works, parks and gardens of the town are important, too. This varied tapestry attracts a wide variety of birds: from the pelagic species (which do visit occasionally), to the little brown jobs we see every day. The bird list of the Garden Route coast of South Africa’s Western Cape Province runs to more than 300 species, and various birders have added between 145 and 250 species to their life lists in Mossel Bay . Birding sites Some suggestions for self-drive birders:

• Great Brak River: look for waders and waterfowl, including white-faced duck and Cape teal; kingfishers (half-collared kingfisher, pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher) Kittlitz’s plover, three-banded plover, white-fronted plovers; and purple heron on the lagoon. In the village, where some indigenous forest still remains, look for Knysna loerie, terrestrial bulbul, chorister robin, African crowned eagle, African goshawk, jackal buzzard, forest buzzard, Knysna woodpecker and olive Woodpecker; and, in the open fields, brown-hooded kingfisher

• Little Brak River Lagoon: look for waders and other waterfowl: African rail, African snipe, cormorants, ducks, grey heron, black-headed heron, egrets, little bittern, whiskered tern, white-winged tern.

• Friemersheim: the land surrounding this historic mission station is largely used for farming, but some stands of forest can be found. Look for fynbos species (Cape sugarbird, orange-breasted sunbird), and, on the dams, waterfowl like African jacana and African snipe.

• Gouritsmond: the road between the N2 and Gouritsmond often provides some of the best sightings of waterfowl, blue cranes (South Africa’s national bird), and raptors like the secretary bird, the Lanner falcon and black-shouldered kite.

Game reserves, nature reserves, hiking trails

• Botlierskop Private Game Reserve: www.botlierskop.co.za has a river-side bird hide for use by overnight guests. The reserve’s bird list includes more than 200 species.

• Eight Bells Mountain Inn: http://www.eightbells.co.za/ the hotel’s 100 hectare private estate is forested, and is laid out


with marked walking and mountain-biking trails. Bird lists are available from reception.

• Garden Route Game Lodge: http://www.grgamelodge.co.za/ 126 species, ranging from bar-throated apalis and steppe buzzard, to African hoopoe and African honeyguide. Bird lists are available from reception. Guided or unguided Bird Walks are available: the route follows a lovely, safe walking trail that’s dotted with information boards with information and colour photographs of some of the reserve’s birds and mammals.

• Gondwana Game Reserve: http://www.gondwanagr.co.za/ 11,000 fynbos reserve; species too look out for include Denham’s Bustard, blue crane, African fish eagle, Verreaux’s eagle ostrich, secretary bird, jackal buzzard, African stone chat, cape grassbird, malachite sunbird, black crowned night heron, and bokmakierie. A bird hide has been built on one of the reserve’s dams.

• Hartenbos Game Lodge: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/game-reserves/hartenbos-private-game-lodge fynbos habitat; 135 species of birds

• Nyaru Game Lodge: http://www.nyarugame.co.za/bird-watching/ fynbos reserve with 120 species on its bird list – including 5 different shrikes (bokmakierie, southern tchagra, southern boubou, common fiscal shrike, olive bushshrike); 3 endemic larks (Large-Billed Lark, Cape Clapper Lark, Agulhas Long-Billed Lark), and protea canary and Cape sugarbird when the proteas come into flower.

• Outeniqua Nature Reserve: http://www.capenature.co.za/reserves/outeniqua-nature-reserve/: 38,000 hectare reserve in the Outeniqua Mountains. Habitats include fynbos, Afro-montane forests (known locally as Knysna forest), and the semi-arid Karoid scrub of the Klein Karoo. The Reserve has a number of walking and hiking trails that range from 1 hour to 7 days in duration (more information here). http://www.capenature.co.za/reserves/outeniqua-nature-reserve/, The Robinson Pass (the road from Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn) passes through the Outeniqua Reserve, so road-side bird watching is quite rewarding if you don’t have time for a proper visit – you could see species ranging from the Cape sugarbird to the black eagle.

• Oystercatcher Trail and Hunter-gatherer Trail: http://www.oystercatchertrail.co.za/ these guided luxury walks follow the coast from Cape St Blaize to Gourits River. Best for shore birds - including the African black oystercatcher.


Appendix III Game watching in Mossel Bay The mammals of Africa have always provided an endless source of amazement – and you can see many of them in the private game reserves of Mossel Bay . This includes the Big Five - elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion, and cheetah – as well as many others like antelope, giraffe, and bontebok (which is endemic to the fynbos LINK TO POST of the Cape Floral Region). LINK TO POST Note: ‘game drives’ = guided excursions in vehicles specially equipped for watching wild animals (game).

• Botlierskop Private Game Reserve: www.botlierskop.co.za offers guided game drives (3-hour guided safaris mornings and afternoons), horseback safaris, bush walks, elephant-back rides, elephant feeding, walks with African lions, and fishing. The 3,000 ha reserve houses more than 26 different species of mammals - including buffalo, giraffe, the rare black impala, mountain zebra, eland and trained elephants. The reserve’s bird list includes more than 200 species.

• Garden Route Game Lodge: http://www.grgamelodge.co.za/. Offers 2- to 3-hour Guided Game Drives at sunset and sunrise (species include lion, elephant, white rhino, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, bontebok, red hartebeest, kudu, eland, impala, springbuck, etc.). Other activities: Reptile Encounters (the Reserve’s reptile collection includes Nile crocodiles, tortoises, terrapins, and 28 different species of snake); Guided or unguided Bird Walks (the route follows a lovely, safe walking trail that’s dotted with information boards with information and colour photographs of some of the reserve’s 126 species of birds, and of some of its mammals); and a unique Skull Garden (a collection of skulls ranging from Africa’s largest land mammals to some of its smallest – great for the kids).

• Gondwana Game Reserve: http://www.gondwanagr.co.za/ this 11,000 ha reserve offers game drives, birding, hiking, and, for children, a Junior Ranger Experience. Resident mammals include the Big 5 (with black rhino), as well as hippo, Cape mountain zebra, wildebeest, kudu, eland, gemsbok, bontebok, grey reebok, giraffe, and many more.

• Hartenbos Game Lodge: http://www.visitmosselbay.co.za/game-reserves/hartenbos-private-game-lodge this 860 ha game farm offers game drives, quad bike rides, hiking, mountain bike rides, and bird watching. The fynbos of the farm is home to giraffe, zebra, 13 species of antelope, and 135 species of birds.

• Nyaru Game Lodge: http://www.nyarugame.co.za/bird-watching/ this fynbos reserve offers game drives, quad bike safaris and Helicopter flights. 17 different species of game including giraffe, rhino, zebra, black impala - and 120 species of birds.


Appendix IV 162,000 years of holidays in Mossel Bay Why did our ancestors live in Mossel Bay ? And how? And what did they learn here? These are among the central questions which a team of more than forty scientists from around the world – members of the SACP4 Project - are working to answer. The South African Coastal Palaeoclimate, Palaeoenvironment, Palaeoecology, and Palaeoanthropology (SACP4) Project is led by Curtis Marean, an associate director of the Institute of Human Origins and professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. It produced its first significant paper in 2007: ‘Early human use of marine resources and pigment in South Africa during the Middle Pleistocene’ appeared in the peer-reviewed publication ‘Nature.’ It was the result of nearly seven years of study. Prof. Marean and his co-authors wrote that “Genetic and anatomical evidence suggests that Homo sapiens arose in Africa between 200 and 100 thousand years ago.” In Mossel Bay , they said, they’d found the earliest evidence for systematic harvesting of seafood, and the earliest evidence for a complex stone tool technology in which tiny, beautiful and precisely-made stone blades were embedded into other materials (probably wood or bone) to create advanced tools that refined our ability as hunters. The archaeological evidence had been discovered by Jonathan Kaplan – a consulting archaeologist and the director of the Agency for Cultural Resource Management - and PhD. student (now Dr.) Peter Nilssen during a routine survey for an environmental impact study of the land that would become the Pinnacle Point Beach and Golf Resort. Dr. Nilssen called in Professor Marean, and their preliminary findings were sufficiently promising to warrant a series of test excavations. Finance was raised from various international organisations (including South Africa’s National Research Foundation), and that first dig was so successful that it lead to another, and another, and another – and the work continues today. (The bulk of the US$ 10 million that’s gone into the Project so far has come from the USA’s National Science Foundation, and the Hyde Family Trust - and South Africa’s Iziko Museums, Mossel Bay ’s Dias Museum Complex, and the people of Mossel Bay have lent considerable support, too.) Later discoveries showed that this is also where humankind first learned to treat silcrete with heat in a controlled way – and so transform a rather poor quality raw stone into a top quality material from which to make our tools; and that this is where we first worked with the pigment ochre (the earliest form of paint) – which indicates that this is where symbolic behaviour – culture - began. But the caves at Pinnacle Point – where the scientists have concentrated their work – are important for another reason, too: studies into Carbon and Oxygen isotopes embedded in dripstone


formations formed during times when the Caves were sealed off to the outside world have revealed detailed information about the water and climate regimes that reigned over the period 400,000 to 30,000 years ago. Put together with the evidence of human habitation starting 162,000 years ago, this information could hold clues as to how we survived climate change in the past – and what we might face in the future. More information: www.visitmosselbay.co.za/archaeology Middle Stone Age Archaeology in Mossel Bay : Tours

• Point of Human Origins Experiences, Pinnacle Point Caves, in the company of Dr. Peter Nilssen (Dr. Nilssen and his colleague, Jonathon Kaplan, identified the site for science, and Dr. Nilssen introduced it to the scientific community)

o Each Point of Human Origins Experience includes an in-depth lecture with PowerPoint presentation on the modern human story, as well as a walking visit to Pinnacle Point Cave 13B

o The walk includes a series of steep stairways, and requires a mild degree of physical fitness

o Maximum group size: 12 guests o Duration: 3 - 4 hours o http://www.humanorigin.co.za/

• Oystercatcher Trail, Mossel Bay to Gouritz River

o Guided, fully catered 4- or 5-night walking trails with accommodation in luxury, beachfront properties

o Includes the Point of Human Origins Experiences, as well as visits to San-period shell middens and stone fish traps

o http://www.oystercatchertrail.co.za/ Middle Stone Age Archaeology in Mossel Bay : Attractions

• Great Brak River Museum http://www.ourheritage.org.za/ (local history, photography, human origins exhibition that explains the local community’s position in the modern human story)

• Cape St. Blaize Cave (site of one of South Africa’s first scientific archaeological excavations) http://www.humanorigin.co.za/pages/cape-st-blaize/


Appendix V The Dias Museum Complex The Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex is the largest of the museums in Mossel Bay . It was opened on 3 February 1989. A precursor - the Mossel Bay Museum (later the Post Tree Museum Complex) was opened in the 1960s. Originally designed to celebrate the arrival of Dias and his crews on 3 February, 1488, and to protect the Post Office Tree, the Complex now offers a wider look at the history of Mossel Bay from environmental, archaeological, and cultural points of view. The complex includes the Post Office Tree (pages 2 & 3), the Granary (a reception and education centre - p 4) a Maritime Museum, (p 5) - which houses a replica of Bartolomeu Dias’ caravel (pp 6 & 7) - an Ethno-botanic garden with Braille Trail, field gardens and historic Malay graves (pp 8 & 9), the Spring (p 10), the Munro’s Hoek Cottages (p 10), and the Shell Museum (p 11). www.diasmuseum.co.za Hours: Weekdays 09h00 - 16h45 Weekends & Public Holidays 09h00 - 15h45 Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday Facilities: Gift shop; wheelchair friendly; research library open by arrangement


Appendix VI The Post Office Tree The Dias Museum Complex centres around an old milkwood tree (Sideroxylon inerme) that’s been used as a kind of post office since 1501. The Portuguese noble, military commander, navigator and explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467 – c. 1520) left Portugal in 1500 on an expedition bound for India aimed at by-passing the stranglehold which the Arabs, the Turks, and the Italians had on the spice trade. His fleet of 13 ships travelled westward and landed land at Brazil (which Cabral claimed for the Portuguese Crown). They then re-provisioned, and sailed south and eastwards around the Cape of Good Hope to India. After landing at the city of Calicut, (now Kozhikode) Cabral and his men initially established good relations with the local ruler (the Zamorin or Samoothiri) - but these quickly soured, and the explorers decamped. On the return journey, one of the ships - under Pêro (or Pedro) de Ataide, (1450 - 1504) - became separated from the fleet off Mozambique, and made for Aguada de São Brás (Mossel Bay ), where de Ataide hoped to meet up with the others. Not finding them there, he wrote a letter explaining the situation in India to João da Nova (whom he knew to be sailing for the east) and left it behind in the milkwood tree that would later become known as the Post Office Tree. (Some believe the letter was hidden in an old boot, some in an iron pot). Da Nova (1460 - 1509) was the commander of the Third India Armada, which King Manuel I of Portugal had assembled in 1501 for the purposes of trade. De Ataide’s letter must have had some effect, because the 3rd Armada - which was credited with the discovery of the uninhabited islands of Ascension and Saint Helena - also waged Portugal’s first significant naval battle in the Indian Ocean: the defeat of the Calicut fleet off Cannanore on December 31, 1501. A post box in the shape of an old boot has now been erected under Mossel Bay ’s Post Office Tree, and the tree itself has been declared a national heritage site (previously ‘national monument’). Letters and cards posted here are stamped with a special commemorative frank. It has become a tradition for visitors to send cards from the Post Office Tree - which is one of the town’s biggest cultural attractions.


Appendix VII Mossel Bay ’s Jakkalsvlei brings home great grape harvest Media Release. 3 March 2013. Mossel Bay Tourism With 160 tons already in the winery, and a prediction for a total harvest of 350 tons, Mossel Bay ’s only commercial wine producer is looking forward to another bumper year. Jantjie Jonker, owner and winemaker at Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar, near Herbertsdale, said that the grapes ripened two weeks later than usual this year. “The main reason for this was that we had a long and cold winter, so they struggled to get to the optimum ripeness or sugar levels.” He said that even perfect weather in December and January still didn’t bring the grapes to the correct sugar levels. “But then, three day before we started, we had 30 mm of rain in twenty minutes – and two days afterwards, suddenly most of the grapes we're ready to be picked.” He explained that water in the soil after the rain brings down the sugar level, but that it rises if the following days are sunny and hot. “So everything worked perfectly, and now we’re working incredibly hard to get the harvest done. “So far we’ve already picked 7 tons of pinot noir, 38 tons of chenin blanc, 42 tons of white muscadel, 33 tons of red muscadel, 28 tons of pinotage, and 32.2 tons of chardonnay. “The grapes are beautiful, especially the pinotage: no green or rotten berries, perfect sugar level.” Just as its vines produce bumper harvests, Jakkalsvlei’s wines have gathered their fair share of awards: its hanepoot was voted champion sweet wine at the 2009 South African Young Wine Show, and its red muscadel won championship honours at the 2010 show. “And last year we won a silver medal for our hanepoot dessert wine and a bronze for our red muscadel at the SA Young Wine show,” said Mr. Jonker. Mr. Jonker produces eight different wines: Mount Cuvée (a pinotage / merlot blend); River Cuvée (Chenin Blanc / Sauvignon Blanc); La Perlé Rosé; a Pinotage - Coffee Edition; a cabernet sauvignon; a sauvignon blanc, and his hanepoot and red muscadel dessert wines. Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm said that Jakkalsvlei is one of Mossel Bay ’s most unexpected tourist attractions. “People don’t normally associate Mossel Bay with wine, but Jantjie has proved that it’s a great area for grapes.


“He’s also developed a number of unusual events that have already become annual traditions for us: we’re in the middle of his Pick-Your-Own-Hanepoot season (which runs from the 15th of February to the 15th of March), and then there’s the Barefoot Grape Dance (also in March) as well as the Jakkalsvlei Mountain Bike Challenge, which takes place in the late spring, and which offers some of the most scenic mountain biking in the area,” said Ms. Holm. “As part of the Proe Mosselbaai Festival, we’ll be celebrating our Pick-Your-Own-Hanepoot this Saturday (2 March) with a special spit braai, and with music by the guitar legend Les Javan,” said Mr. Jonker. He said that the farm is also open to wine lovers, picnickers, mountain bikers, and walkers on weekdays and Saturdays throughout the year. “We have a tasting room, but we don’t normally have catering facilities – so bring your own picnic and come and enjoy one of the most undiscovered parts of the Garden Route.” Now is also one probably the best time to visit, he said. “At the moment harvest is pretty intense - new grapes coming in, tanks busy fermenting, pump-overs, tanks finished fermenting, pressing the skins – but I must say, this is my favourite time of the year. “To see my harvest come in and it looks so beautiful – it makes all the sweat worthwhile.” More information:

• Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar: www.jakkalsvlei.co.za • Mossel Bay Tourism: www.visitmosselbay.co.za and

www.facebook.com/VisitMosselBay Bay

Mossel Bay. Do Stuff: Speaker notes

Travel

Transcript of Mossel Bay. Do Stuff: Speaker notes