Historical Activities

San Gonzales Wreck: This Portuguese ship was wrecked in 1630 and 133 sailors perished. Pieces of porcelain and other objects were found in 1979 by the Jerling family. These were donated to Plettenberg Bay in 1988 and can be seen at the Municipal offices on Sewell Street.

St Andrews Chapel: This unusual, quaint church is the oldest in the diocese of George. The entire building is uniquely made of Yellowwood.

Old Whaling Station: This was built in 1831 but burnt down in 1914. Whaling operations ceased in 1916. One can still view the original slipway and blubber cauldron. The stinkwood navigational beacon was first erected on Beacon Island in 1771. It was replaced by a stone one by Captain Sewell in 1881.

Old Timber Store: It was built in 1787/88 by Johann Jerling and the famous Dutch East Company. The remains are preserved as a National Monument.

The Old Rectory: This was erected as a barracks for the Dutch East India Company in 1776. In 1869 it was bought by St Peters Church and used as a rectory for the next 70 years. It is presently privately owned.

St Peters Church: A small wooden chapel-cum-school was first built here in 1855 but in 1875 the building was blown down during a seasonal storm. It was replaced with the present stone edifice in 1881 and now serves the local Anglican Community.

Dutch Reformed Church: Situated in Witterdrif, this church was built in 1834.

Forest Hall: This historical manor was built by William Henry Newdgate in 1864. The double storey building has an impressive entrance hall, musician’s gallery and yellowwood and stinkwood woodwork. Forest Hall is now privately owned.

Ecology

Fynbos and Flowers: The small Cape Floral Kingdom between Cape Town and Grahamstown (0.04% of the world's land mass) contains 8500 different flowering plants. This is more than is found in the entire Northern hemisphere.

Indigenous Forests: Between 1777 and 1939 much of our indigenous forests were exploited in the timber trade. Although it is the largest tract of natural forest in SA. Only 65 000 Ha of the original forest remains today. The Outeniqua yellowwood or Kalander is a true forest giant reaching over 50m in height. Other magnificent specimens are the ironwood and stinkwood trees.

Birds and Land Animals: More than 260 species of birds have been sighted in this area with its unique four habitats, namely the forest, fynbos, wetlands and the coastal region making this area a birdwatchers paradise.

Marine Life and Reefs: More than 100 species of fish are known to occur along this coast. Fish found on the reefs are highly susceptible to exploitation. Marine reserves play an important role in restocking over-fished areas. Some species found on reefs include zebra, doublesash butterflyfish, blacktail, roman, elf, galjoen and yellowbelly rockcod. Some of the finest soft coral reefs in the world are found here with sponges, starfish and many shellfish including our unique Pansy shell. Common marine mammals are dolphins, whales and seals. During winter months, the spectacular Southern Right Whales are resident in our bay when they arrive up from the southern oceans to calve.