Gordon’s Bay is named after Robert Jacob Gordon, the Dutch explorer of Scottish descent
Robert Jacob Gordon was born on 29 September 1743 in Doesburg, the Netherlands, and died at the age of 52 years, on 25 October 1795 in Cape Town. He was an explorer, soldier, artist, naturalist and linguist.
Robert Jacob Gordon was the son of Major General Jacob Gordon of the Scots Brigade (1572–1782) in the service of the Netherlands. Although of Scottish descent, Robert Gordon's allegiance and service lay with the Netherlands. He joined the Dutch Light Dragoons as a cadet in 1753 and enrolled at the University of Harderwijk in 1759. Here he studied in the humanities and soon proved to be of exceptional intelligence with diverse interests. He served at first with the Scots Brigade and later joined the Dutch East India Company, rising to the rank of colonel and commanding the Cape garrison between 1780 and 1795 and lived in the manor house known as Schoonder Sigt. He went on more expeditions than any other 18th-century explorer of southern Africa. Of the six journeys he undertook, only four between 1777 and 1786 are covered by journals discovered in 1964. He was responsible for naming the Orange River, introducing Merino sheep to the Cape Colony and for the discovery of the remains of Bartolomeu Dias's padrão (large stone cross) at Kwaaihoek in 1786. In addition to French, Dutch and English, he spoke Hottentot and Xhosa.
During 1772/73 Robert visited the Cape Colony and undertook a trip on foot exploring the mountains between Cape Town and False Bay.
As commander of the garrison, Gordon was responsible for the Cape's defense. In 1794-1795, the French successfully invaded the Netherlands. As a result the Prince of Orange, as Stadtholder, the de facto head of state of the Dutch Republic, fled to England. In 1795, a British fleet arrived at the Cape claiming that they had instructions to occupy the colony in the Prince of Orange's name. Gordon initially complied, but was later accused of treason by his own soldiers for allowing the British occupation. Gordon had become an outcast and a target of derision and violence. On 25 October 1795 he committed suicide at his house Schoonder Sigt.
When you find the cache and sit on the rocks overlooking Gordon’s Bay, you will feel the same joy that Robert Jacob Gordon must have felt when he sat on a similar spot in the late 1700’s.
The cache is best approached from the parking waypoint and trailhead waypoint provided. The walk from the start of the trailhead to the cache is about 4km. It might be possible to climb to it directly from the bottom of the mountain, but there is no path and this would significantly add to the Terrain rating.
It is probably best to combine it with the other caches on the mountain and make a day of it!
Note: Unauthorised access is prohibited for cars.