Schuster's Kraal Revisited
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is a replacement for the original Schusterskrall cache GC1PJBF which disappeared from its beachside location, presumably swept away by the winter storms.
A short stroll along a popular sandy beach, rocky shoreline and around a milkwood dune forest. The area has many ideal spots for an evening glass of your favourite drink while watching the sunset (SE winds and cloud cover permitting!)
kraal (Afrikaans) = a rural village, typically consisting of huts surrounded by a stockade; an enclosure for livestock. The location name on current maps is Schusterskraal but the bay where the beach is located is called Schuster’s Bay. I haven’t been able to find out who Schuster was – but s/he obviously had some local influence!
Scarborough which is just beyond Kommetjie on the M65, is one of the few suburbs of Cape Town that is still far from the madding crowds, despite proximity to the city and a recent property boom that has sent properties prices even here into the stratosphere. It is a conservation village with a random scattering of houses and beach homes embedded in the steep mountains of Slangkop and Red Hill, overlooking the thundering Atlantic waves. Although its self-employed musician-writer-artist residents have been joined more recently by more affluent computer programmer/advertising executive types, its easygoing lifestyle remains intact. It is next to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, which guarantees little development here in the future. Its rustic charm is further enhanced by the fact that it has some of the best fishing and surfing on the peninsula. Body boarding, kite surfing, kayaking, windsurfing and crayfishing are all highly rated, and the beach has some of the most awesome sunsets and wonderful windswept walks. There are a couple of restaurants and small shops, but Simon’s Town, Noordhoek and Fish Hoek are all easily accessible if more is required.
Scarborough Beach is broad and sandy, with plenty of room for sunbathing. There is a point break popular with surfers and body boarders. Take care if you decide to go for a swim - there are a few rip currents just off the beach. It never gets too crowded but can be busy in summer, especially over the December holidays when the village comes alive with visitors. On windy days (common!) the beach is great for kites and kite surfing as there is lots of room to manoeuvre.
To reach the Cache: Park at the large parking area at S 34 11.948 E 018 22.336 and head south down the beach which is frequented (depending on the time and prevailing conditions) by numerous dog-walker and other muggles, including picnickers, surfers and brave/crazy swimmers.
Approach 1:
Carry on past the end of the sandy shore, entering the TMNP Schusterskraal (area and along the rocky shore to a corner of the trail close to an anonymous monument (of a boulder?!) and the Table Mountain National Park border fence and signboard at S 34 12.252 E 18 22.200. Turn left here and continue approximately 260m to the cache area.
The cache, a small pharmaceutical camo-container, is hidden under a shrub in an open grassy area with a good view north to the beach and beyond.
To return, either retrace your steps or continue east following the TMNP fence around the edge of the white milkwood forest to a grassy picnic area. Turn north here to head back across the grass and further north towards the parking area. If you wish to return via the beach make use of a wooden boardwalk on your left after the picnic area at S 34 12.128 E 18 22.470.
Approach 2: (use this during winter wet season when the seasonal Schusters stream cuts across the end of the beach – if you don’t want to get your feet wet). It also constitutes an alternative return to Approach 1 above.
About two-thirds the way down the beach head east towards the dunes and the start of a boardwalk at S 34 12.116 E 18 22.396 which runs along the edge of the stream flowing down from the valley (Garstland se Kloof) and through a wetland area (Schoesters-Brandvlei). Brand = burning, vlei = inland body of water (both Afrikaans words).
At the end of the boardwalk, turn right (South) and over the bridge to a grassy picnic area. Skirt the corner of this near the public conveniences and head west towards the cache area. To reach the beach from here simply carry on west for a further approx 260m.
White Milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme) is a low-growing, evergreen tree. It is rarely has a straight trunk and its gnarled, sprawling branches often create impenetrable thickets that are home to a variety of wild life. Although also occurring inland, milkwoods are found mainly in dune forests along the coast from the Cape Peninsula to northern Zululand.
The small, yellowy-green flowers have an unusual sour-smell (Jan-July) and are eaten by speckled mousebirds. The edible, juicy, purple black fruit (July-Jan) are enjoyed by birds, bats, monkeys, baboons and bush pigs. The milky latex after which it is named makes the leaves and bark unpalatable to grazing animals. The very hard, heavy and strong wood was used in the past to build ships, bridges, mills and ploughs. It is very durable even when wet and it shrinks little with drying. In the past, the site of a farmyard was often determined by the presence of a milkwood. Their dense, umbrella-shaped crowns created a perfect ‘roof’ for the meat chests that pre-dated refrigerators. Bark and roots have been used to cure broken bones, treat fevers, dispel bad dreams, and treat gall sickness in stock animals. Although not an endangered species, it is protected and may not be damaged, moved or felled.
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