Kalk Bay Curiosities
(. . . such as, for example, what exactly was going through the minds of the two guys in the photo above??)
This short walk takes you around the southern end of Kalk Bay, a busy harbour village running along the western False Bay coast
Note: the coordinates above are for Step 1
For more info on its rich and fascinating history (including victualling, whaling, shipwrecked Filipinos, emancipated slaves, the railway and over-fishing), see here or read the interesting and informative publication Kalk Bay: An Historical Booklet and Walk (undated) which is available from local bookshops and has a detailed map plus sketches and descriptions of the numerous historical buildings in the vicinity. There is also an excellent historical map produced by the Whale of a Heritage Route group and available on their website here
Over the years the character of Kalk Bay has changed greatly and the harbour although still active is much quieter. The old mix of traditional shops along the main road has been replaced by restaurants/other eateries and numerous quirky (= trendy?) fashion, antique, art, bric-a-brac & memorabilia shops and also (junk?) shops where you can buy damaged and worn-out (ie. ‘distressed’) items at greatly higher cost than new ones!? So all in all it is a great place to spend a few hours being curious, amused, entertained and (hopefully) progressively enlightened!
Now for the cache . . .
Park in the large parking area near the harbour @ S 34 07.761 E 18 26.916
Step 1: Proceed (weather permitting – see amazing storm photos here or here) to S 34 07.709 E 18 27.067 where you will find a curious small ceramic design (logo?) on the harbour wall. How many square tiles are there in this? (Number of tiles = AB). Also curiously, near here and closer to the end of the wall/lighthouse you will find an inscription in the concrete ‘NdP 1985’ – are these the initials of a proud workman or just opportunistic graffiti?
Step 2: Now head for S 34 07.747 E 18 26.878 where you will find an information sign on Pelagic Fishing. Towards the top centre of this you will learn that this is the largest fishery in the country which in 2001 landed 54C,000 tons of fish - amazing rather than curious.
Step 3: Move along, down and under to S 34 07.724 E 18 26.891 and admire the architecture! How many of the 10 railway arches are blocked off by metal railings? (Number of blocked arches = D). When you read the history of KalkBay, the building of this viaduct was very controversial and led to radical transformation of this whole area . . . the only curious thing is how come only one of these arches seems to be blocked off for an obvious reason? (to store some old surf-boards)
Step 4: Onwards and onto one of the necessary transformations where you will find a long stretch of deliberately assembled concrete block (‘units’) which fascinatingly (curiously?) are individually identified by number and date of manufacture! Was this so they could be precisely assembled into a huge 3-D jigsaw?? At S 34 07.638 E 18 26.998 look for Unit #38 – in what month (ie. the middle of the 3 date figures) was it manufactured? (Number of month = 0E)
Step 5: Move northwards a short distance and (after checking out the tidal pools near one of Kalk Bay’s famous eateries which periodically gets flooded during severe storms – like that of 31 August 2008 - see Gallery photos) pass under Kalk Bay Station. This was converted from a house in 1883 on land expropriated from the Anglican church. As you ascend the steps to exit the station subway back onto the main road, at S 34 07.562 E 18 27.006 you will see a curious black (and messy!) painted 4-word stencil on the southern wall of the subway - one of which refers to an animal. The alphanumeric value (A=1, B=2, C=3 etc) of the 1st letter of this word = F
***Note: 1/6/19 Stencil has gone so use F=3***
Step 6: Now onwards and upwards to S 34 07.528E 18 26.913 where you will see an enormous and curious-looking tree (not yet identified) in the middle. About 3 metres above ground level, the main trunk splits into multiple smaller (but still pretty thick) trunks – how many? (Number of smaller trunks = G)
Step 7: Move SW along the road and at the next access point ascend to the road above, then continue to S 34 07.584 E 18 26.782 where you will find an inscription in the concrete. (Inscription = APR193H) Are these the initials of another proud concrete artist?
Final: The cache, a small green flip-topped tablet pot is located at:
S 34 07.(B+3-A)ED E 18 26.(G+H)(Fx2)(Cx2)
On your way back to the start, note the only remaining traditional two-roomed Fisherman’s Cottage built around 120 years ago @ S 34 07.662 E 18 26.772. . . and if you need one more curiosity . . . a nearby limpet-enhanced house wall at S 34 07.686 E 18 26.769
Then – for some real fun, go and find those distressed (cracked & chipped) enamel mugs, (broken & rusted) spanners and (rotted & cracked) doors you always wanted for that shabby chic look . . . actually some of those distressed picture frames are quite nice . . .