The white milkwood tree or Witmelhout in Afrikaans (Sideroxylon inerme) is a low-growing, evergreen tree. It is rarely found with a straight trunk; instead, 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 along the coast from the Cape Peninsula to northern Zululand.
The small, yellowy-green flowers have an unusual sour-smell (Jan-July). The edible, juicy, black fruit (July-Jan) are enjoyed by birds and baboons. The milky latex which gives the tree its common name makes the leaves and the bark unpalatable to grazing animals. The wood is very hard, heavy and strong. In the past, it was used for ship building, bridges, mills and ploughs. It is very durable even when wet and it shrinks little with drying. In days gone by, 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.
Milkwoods are protected in South Africa and no part of the tree may be cut without a permit from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
There are 4 milkwood trees that have been awarded National Monument status in South Africa, one of the being the Post Office Tree at the Diaz Museum in Mossel Bay that was used as early as 1500 AD to leave a letter to then naval commander informing that Bartholomew Diaz, the famous Portuguese explorer, had drowned at sea.
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About the cache location:
You can either walk from / through Steenbok Park to this cache location or - if you don't cycle - park your car very close as per the additional waypoint (toilet facilities also in waypoints 😉).
This is a nano container hidden at a lovely little rest stop looking out onto the north-western reaches of the estuary and towards Knysna and the Outeniqua Mountains beyond from under the canopy of a beautifully twisted and branched milkwood tree.
From here at low tide you can walk all the way around the tip of the island and end up on the other side looking out towards the Heads!
About the cache container:
Please open the nano cache carefully by flipping up the top. PLEASE place back as inconspicuously as you found it ! Thank you!