Kalk Bay

History

Pre-colonial history

The history of the Kalk Bay area is difficult to separate from that of the wider False Bay region. It is likely that the area was inhabited by the Khoekhoe people for thousands of years before European settlement. An investigation of skeletons found in the coastal region has shown that the stature of these prehistoric people was within the range of modern Khoisan people. Middens found under cliff overhangs in the mountains above Kalk Bay indicate these sites may have been used for shelter, and archaeological evidence continues to be exposed through animal activity in the area.

European settlement and whaling

The village of Kalk Bay was likely established by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. The first written mention of the name Kalkbaai (Lime Bay) was by Governor Simon van der Stel in 1687, during a three-week expedition to sound and chart False Bay. The name is derived from the Dutch and Afrikaans words for the deposits of mussel shells which were burnt by early settlers to produce lime.

The early fishing population consisted primarily of slaves from Bengal, Indonesia, and Ceylon. They gained their freedom in 1807, when slavery was made illegal in the British Empire. This community was largely Muslim, leading to the construction of a mosque in 1846.

Under British rule, whaling became a major industry. Beginning around 1806, it drove settlement in the area and became the third-highest income-earning industry in the Cape, behind agriculture and wine-making. The whaling stations were relocated from Simon's Town to the coastline between Kalk Bay and St James after residents complained about the smell. By 1902, whaling at Kalk Bay had ceased as whale stocks became depleted.

Filipino community

The population was bolstered by the arrival of Filipino fishermen. According to local oral history, the first arrivals may have been as early as 1839, when a fisherman named Staggie Fernandez swam ashore from a ship in Simon's Town and walked to Kalk Bay. Other accounts state that a shipwrecked Filipino crew settled in Kalk Bay in the mid-1840s. The community grew significantly in the 1850s when refugees fled the Philippines to escape anti-Spanish riots. The predominantly Catholic Filipino community is considered the origin of the separation between Kalk Bay and St James, as the latter contains the area's only Catholic church.

Railway and harbour development

The Southern Line railway was extended to Kalk Bay in 1883, linking the village to Cape Town and allowing fish to be transported efficiently to the city. The arrival of the railway, however, jeopardized the practice of launching small fishing boats from the beach. This, combined with the use of larger fishing vessels in False Bay, increased pressure to construct an artificial harbour.

Construction on the harbour began on 6 March 1913, under the supervision of engineer-in-charge C. Le S. Furlong. On 7 June 1913, the Minister of Railways and Harbours, Henry Burton, laid the foundation stone. The project was largely completed by 1918, resulting in an 8-acre basin with a breakwater, a fish-landing quay, and a slipway. A secondary mole was added between 1937 and 1939.

Apartheid era

The Slums Act of 1934, which was often applied to advance segregation, led to the demolition of houses in an area of Kalk Bay known as Die Land. This housing was largely inhabited by the Coloured fishing population. The community successfully fought for replacement housing to be built in the same location, leading to the construction of a set of flats between 1941 and 1945, colloquially known as the "Fishermen's Flats".

In 1967, Kalk Bay was proclaimed a "White Area" under the Group Areas Act. This led to significant protest and a historically unique reversal: the fishing community was permitted to remain in the flats, as they had to stay close to their boats. While a 15-year deadline was set for their eventual removal, it was never acted upon, and most of the population remained. Roughly a quarter of families were evicted.

Tourism

Kalk Bay's historically dominant fishing industry has largely been replaced by tourism. This shift is driven by several notable attractions. The harbour still hosts an active fishing industry; however, it has also become a popular tourist attraction. It features several seafood restaurants and a fresh fish market. It is also known for its population of brown fur seals.

Kalk Bay has a reef with a break known as "Kalk Bay Reef". It is known for heavy barrels and the associated shallow reef, which makes it more hazardous than most popular surf spots. It is best surfed on a large south-easterly swell or a north-westerly wind. In smaller swells, low tide makes for better barrels. The waves are often good for surfing in the winter and early spring.

Another popular activity is whale watching, as Southern right whales migrate through False Bay during several months of the year.

In addition, the mountains above Kalk Bay contain several hiking trails, including Echo Valley and Trappieskop (Afrikaans for 'steps hill'). These are accessible from Boyes Drive, which runs across the mountain above Kalk Bay. The hills contain over eighty caves, varying in complexity. Trails can be used to access sandstone caves known as "Boomslang Cave" and "Ronan's Well", which has over 400 metres of passage. These are popular among amateur cavers for their ease of access, relative safety, and simple layouts.

These caves are of importance to speleologists because they have formed in sandstone. Large cave systems are not often found in this type of chemically nonreactive rock.

Coat of arms

Kalk Bay (including Muizenberg and St James) was a municipality from 1895 to 1913. The town council assumed a coat of arms, designed by Frank Newnes, in July 1901.

The shield was divided horizontally. The upper half was divided vertically, depicting a fishing boat (partly obscured by a small shield) and eight fleurs de lis, while the lower half depicted a bunch of grapes. A small shield displaying an arum lily was placed in the centre.

References

References

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10. "Simon van der Stel's Day Register". Cape Archives.
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12. Walker, Michael. (2016). "A history of the houses". St James Guesthouses.
13. (2014). "Stories of the South Peninsula, Chapter 05". City of Cape Town.
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15. (5 April 2019). "EARLY KALK BAY SETTLERS HONOURED".
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17. (14 September 2018). "Then and now: Wynberg Railway Station".
18. (15 April 2025). "The Mystery of the Green Starboard Lighthouse at Kalk Bay Harbour".
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20. "Bulletin 1 1997".
21. (2009). "Contested modernism: post Slums Act public housing in Cape Town". Art Historical Work Group of South Africa, University of Pretoria.
22. (14 June 2018). "Using municipal land for bowling greens during a housing crisis is unjust".
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24. Manuel, Lauren. (6 March 2023). "The Keeper of Fishermen Tales".
25. (2016-12-02). "December Newsletter".
26. Getaway. (2021-06-30). "Kalk Bay: The Happy Harbour".
27. Master, Web. (2021-12-27). "Kalk Bay Seal Finally Off the Hook, Freed from Pain • Cape of Good Hope SPCA".
28. (1984). "Caves Of The Cape Peninsula". Cambridge Underground Journal.
29. "Subseries G10 - Avernas, Boomslang, White Dome Grotto, Wessels Grotto".
30. (2000). "The invertebrate fauna of the sandstone caves of the Cape Peninsula (South Africa): Patterns of endemism and conservation priorities". Biodiversity and Conservation.
31. Western Cape Archives : Kalk Bay Municipal Minutes (23 July 1901).