ABOUT
Yzerfontein, our hidden gem, is a pleasant one hour drive from the metropole of Cape Town, also lying 26km west of the village of Darling.
Having left the suburbs behind, the main arterial road, the R27, is a smooth, scenic drive heading north through long stretches of undisturbed fynbos with views of long bays and blue ocean to the left. The turn-off to Yzerfontein is well signposted and the road immediately hints at the interesting nature of this coastal village. The 9 km stretch to the town offers a couple of quirky stops for refreshments and the white lime kilns on the sides of the road never fail to pique people’s interest. A slight rise before the entrance to the town gives one expansive views of 16 Mile Beach which stretches all the way to the northern tip of the West Coast Nature Reserve and is the longest uninterrupted beach on the South African coastline. Looking south, is the famous view of Table Mountain in the distance.
Yzerfontein is a unique destination, and not only because of the spectacular seascapes, wild fynbos and wildflowers; the entire town is a designated conservancy where man and nature live in harmony. Raised walkways, well-defined walking paths and accessible beaches allow visitors to explore almost every inch of this magnificent coastline. The cold Benguela current delivers bracingly cold water, but this does not deter regular swimmers, surfers and almost every other water sport.
Yzerfontein is a popular holiday resort for many reasons, come and enjoy the warm hospitality of our West Coast town.
!Khwa ttu San Culture & Educational Centre
Situated within close proximity of Darling, !Khwa ttu San Culture & Educational Centre, West Coast National Park and the West Coast Fossil Park, makes Yzerfontein the perfect choice for a quick getaway. Whether it’s a relaxing break from busy city life, a passion for fauna and flora, or walking and water
Yzerfontein Festival, Snoek Classic & Galjoen Derby
Endangered African Black Oystercatchers roost on the rocks above the high water mark and between July and January whales and dolphins frolic in the bay. The annual Yzerfontein Festival & Events and Snoek Classic, as well as the Galjoen Derby are highlights during holiday season.
Yzerfontein birdwatcher, Wild flowers & Fynbos
If you are a birdwatcher or appreciate wild flowers and fynbos, then Yzerfontein is the place to visit! Explore on foot with a choice of 2 walking trails and a unique stone labyrinth on a hill overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean. Cyclists and joggers can safely train both on- and off-road.
Yzerfontein, Surfers’ and Wind-surfers’ Paradise
Yzerfontein is a surfers’ and wind-surfers’ paradise with Schaap Island and Main Beach being the local surfing hotspots. Accommodation is plentiful, varying from a caravan park to intimate guest houses and luxurious beach houses overlooking the ocean.
Yzerfontein Heritage
Yzerfontein Lime Kilns
With the establishment of the refreshment station at de Caap de Goede Hoop by The IOC there was no cement available for building purposes. The Dutch built lime kilns to burn mussels to form a binding material to be used as cement. The lime kiln was built above ground level, with lime stones which did not crack when it becomes very hot. In the oven you would find a fine grid iron and on it they placed layers of mussel shells and wood.
The heat of the fire turned the shells into a fine ash, which then fell through the grid iron. The ash was then mixed with water and placed in a evaporating enclosure to enable it to turn into a type of lime. It was used as a binding material in place of cement. The Castle in Cape Town and many farm houses in the Sandveld on the West Coast was built with it. Salt was added to the lime and was widely used to white wash the outsides of buildings.
Animal fat was added to help with the binding properties of the lime and to waterproof the surface.
The two lime kilns on the R315, on route to Yzerfontein, were still in use in 1976. With this replica (on third scale) the Yzerfontein Tourism Bureau attempts to bring this important cultural and historic inheritance to the public.
Schaapeiland Hiking Trail
Schaap eiland Hiking Trail skirts the edge of the village of Yzerfontein. Approximately two kilometres long, it starts from the Main Beach – or Sixteen Mile Beach as it is also known – and then runs in a southerly direction, that is, towards the harbour. It is an easy walk for most people. Once you leave the main beach the Trail runs higher up along the rocks. A well-maintained footpath covered in crushed mussel shells is clearly signposted with white footprints to show the way.
On the Trail many indigenous bird species may be encountered, one of the most important being the small black Oyster Catcher with its bright red legs, long, pointed red bill and shrill whistle-like screech. This bird is on the Cites Red Data List of endangered species. When fish are abundant, large flocks of Black Cormorants fly over the water, diving down repeatedly to feed. Three species of seagulls are always present: the black Kelp gull, Hartlaub’s, and the Grey headed gull.
During the whaling season from July to October and even later in the year, Southern Right and Humped Back whales come inshore and, near the safety of the harbour, mate and calve, making it possible to watch these graceful giants from close by.
A short distance from the start of the Trail one passes a rocky outpost in the sea.
With the quaint local name of Koeskatgat.Here you will encounter the first colony of dassies (also called hyrax, rock rabbits or coneys). Believe it or not, this furry little brown animal is the closest living relative to the elephant! Babies are born between September and October.
After passing Koeskatgat, the Trail soon passes the whitewashed and thatched “Vishuis” (Fish House), the oldest building in Yzerfontein, now home to the Yzerfontein Tourism Office.
From the “Vishuis” follow the street a short way and turn right into the harbour.
The original harbour wall was built during World War II. When the fishing boats return early in the afternoon with their catch (mainly snoek and yellow tail) the harbour is a hive of activity. Walk through the harbour and pick up the path on the far side where it climbs the hill to a lookout point.
Feel free to come in and visit us, and view the black and white photographs showing life in the village from bygone days. About 80 years ago this little building was used to store salt. Salt from the nearby pans was transported in pans running on a railway line to the store and later shipped in small freighters to Cape Town.
In front of the building, stop to view a replica of a lime kiln – you may have noticed a few kilns next to the road as you drove into Yzerfontein. These lime kilns were originally used by the local farmers and builders to burn mussel shells, which were found in abundance, to make a kind of cement and whitewash. Many of the houses on the farms were built using this material.
This is a good place to sit and watch the fishing boats returning with their catch for the day. It is also a good vantage point to look for whales – you can read all about the different species to be seen on the information boards.
The Trail continues past a number of fishing coves with descriptive local names: Blaasgat, Hoëbank, Starck’s Bank, Duiwenes, Deurspring, Spuitgat, Gladdebank, Skuimgat, College, Draaibank, Grasbank, and Kreefgat. During the spring flower season from August to the beginning of October, this part of the Trail is spectacular and walking through the vygies (succulents), aloes and other small flowers is an unforgettable experience.
The Trail ends at Schaapeiland. Schaapeiland is not a real island but a little peninsula which is cut off from the mainland during high tide. In earlier days Yzerfontein was the holiday spot for the farmers of nearby Darling who brought along cattle and sheep to provide meat for their families. Under the watchful eye of a shepherd the animals grazed on the island and were safe from jackal and other predators.
After your hike, have a rest on one of the wooden benches erected for this purpose and enjoy the sea, the peace, the whales and the view of Dassen Island nine kilometres away in the distance. On a clear day you may even see Table Mountain. Here again are signboards with interesting information about whales. If you are short on time, return to the centre of Yzerfontein village following the tarred road, this time keeping the sea to your left. We hope you enjoyed your hike. Do visit us again!
The Trail continues past a number of fishing coves with descriptive local names: Blaasgat, Hoëbank, Starck’s Bank, Duiwenes, Deurspring, Spuitgat, Gladdebank, Skuimgat, College, Draaibank, Grasbank, and Kreefgat.
During the spring flower season from August to the beginning of October, this part of the Trail is spectacular and walking through the vygies (succulents), aloes and other small flowers is an unforgettable experience.
The Trail ends at Schaapeiland. Schaapeiland is not a real island but a little peninsula which is cut off from the mainland during high tide. In earlier days Yzerfontein was the holiday spot for the farmers of nearby Darling who brought along cattle and sheep to provide meat for their families. Under the watchful eye of a shepherd the animals grazed on the island and were safe from jackal and other predators.
After your hike, have a rest on one of the wooden benches erected for this purpose and enjoy the sea, the peace, the whales and the view of Dassen Island nine kilometres away in the distance. On a clear day you may even see Table Mountain. Here again are signboards with interesting information about whales. If you are short on time, return to the centre of Yzerfontein village following the tarred road, this time keeping the sea to your left.We hope you enjoyed your hike. Do visit us again!
Dassen Island
In Kearton’s footsteps
It’s almost ninety years since naturalist Cherry Kearton once set foot on this very spot. I look out over the calm waters of House Bay and catch the reflection of gulls darting above. Their shrieks and cries are amplified by the surrounding silence, broken only by the waves crashing against the island’s rocky coastline.
The narrow beach in front of me has been isolated for years. Stretching out towards Boom Point on my left and the wreck of an old fishing vessel on my right are chalk-white sands that know little more than the careful footsteps of the seabirds who inhabit them. In the direction of the wrecked vessel I can see Crowned cormorants nesting elusively amidst the rust and overgrowth, and a small group of African penguins start to gather in the far off corner of the beach after a long day at sea.
Dassen Island was the first of South Africa’s inshore islands to have a publicly released conservation plan, and remains an important breeding sanctuary for a variety of endangered seabirds. My interest in the island was sparked through Cherry Kearton’s Island of Penguins – a humorous and heartfelt account of his stay in the 1920’s, when the island was home to over a million African penguins. After months of research in which I learnt about the tragic oil spills of the Apollo Sea and MV Treasure, as well as the dire situation that the island’s inhabitants have found themselves in today, I finally heard from conservation manager Johan Visagie that there was a chance of seeing it all for myself – and the opportunity to retrace Kearton’s footsteps.
Dassen Island was the first of South Africa’s inshore islands to have a publicly released conservation plan, and remains an important breeding sanctuary for a variety of endangered seabirds.
By the time Kearton made it to Dassen Island he was well established in field of wildlife documentary, and had an impressive list of innovations to boast. He was the first to compile a photographic anthology of birds, the first to use camouflage to capture intimate images of animals in the wild, and the first to film aerial landscapes from an airplane. Kearton was such a big figure in his time that he even inspired David Attenborough, who attended one of his talks on wildlife filmmaking, to follow in his footsteps.
But with Attenborough thousands of kilometres back home in England, Kearton and his wife Adda Forrest – a singer he had met in South Africa – had Dassen Island bobbing in full view. They watched it from the bow of a local West Coast fishing vessel, separated by a rough passage of ocean. Without the small wooden jetty that stands on the island today, the only access to the island would be via a small paddle boat lowered from the main vessel at sea. And so like Gulliver – a figure Kearton would later compare himself to – they were churned out of rough seas with their few belongings into a peculiar land ruled by little people: in this case they wore neat black suites, white shirts and “tiny black hobble skirts.”
During his stay on Dassen Island Kearton spent months documenting the habits of the African penguin. Although he liked the name “nature’s little comedians,” he was well aware that African penguins lived difficult and often tragic lives. Even as far back as the 1920’s Kearton was concerned that the population size on the island had come to a halt. I still struggle to imagine what he might have thought if he had to see the island today.
Years of guano scraping have removed the fertile layer of guano that the penguins use to build their nests. When the guano scraping finally came to an end the old lime-washed Guano Scraper’s Quarters scattered around House Bay were converted to help with the collection of penguin eggs, following the commercialization of the penguin egg industry. This had drastic consequences for the penguin population, with an estimate of thirteen million eggs being collected between 1900 and 1930 alone. It was not until the 60’s that egg collection came to an end. During a conference at the Kruger National Park Kearton’s photographs of the island taken during his stay in the 20’s were compared to more recent images. The result: an official ban on egg collecting in 1967.
Jump forty five years ahead and I am standing looking out over the still shores of Dassen Island. A cold wind comes in from the south and the waves crash over Boom Point, a narrow stretch of land to the north that shelters House Bay from the rough Atlantic ocean. From the jetty Kelp gulls watch for shimmers on the sea that might signal a passing school of fish, while sterns dot the sand and Whitefronted plovers run across the beach like little ghosts.
In the far corner of the bay I watch the small group of penguins start to grow as the evening comes in and others emerge from behind the waves. There are at most twenty, gathering below a steep boulder that has been bleached yellow by the sea and the sun. In my mind is an image of Kearton’s where thousands of penguins are scattered across the length of this exact beach, and it makes me think of how drastically things have changed. But it’s not long before I catch the sight of another penguin coming ashore from behind the waves. He swims gracefully until he can run, and when he can run he picks himself up with his small back legs and runs like hell.
When he finally makes it to safety – the waves crashing against the shore now a reasonable distance behind him – he stops for a moment to straighten out his neat little suit. Eventually satisfied, he wobbles over to the others waiting by the boulder at the end of the beach.
It reminds me that even though the waters around Dassen Island are overfished, and a population of over a million penguins has been reduced to just over eight thousand, somehow these birds, who still seem quite happy to share the long walk home together in each other’s company, still have their way of cheering one up. And I can’t help but think that’s the reason Kearton grew so fond of nature’s little “comedians.”
Nature Reserve
Dassen Island lies in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 55km north west of Cape Town and 9km off Yzerfontein. It is South Africa’s second largest Island, after Robben Island in Table bay. The Island was proclaimed a nature reserve in 1987 and Is managed by Cape Nature Conservation, primarily to protect its seabird colonies. Public visits are limited, because of the sensitive nature of the seabirds.
The Island was proclaimed a nature reserve in 1987 and Is managed by Cape Nature Conservation, primarily to protect its seabird colonies.
Shipwrecks
The Cape’s west coast has been a busy shipping lane for several centuries and the rough seas have claimed countless ships and lives. Dassen Island’s lighthouse, reputedly the most isolated manned lighthouse on the South African coast, was built in 1893 and stands on the southern and highest point of the island. Nevertheless, the island remains a danger to ships and small craft, and several rusting and rotting shipwrecks litter its coastline.
The 1994 sinking of the Apollo sea. A bulk ore carrier near Dassen Island and the resultant oil spill caused environmental damage to the island and threatened its penguin population.
Dassen Island’s lighthouse, reputedly the most isolated manned lighthouse on the South African coast, was built in 1893.
Ecology and History
The ecology of small island is often dynamic. Natural fluctuations of plant and animal populations, in addition to a long history of human disturbance, have so altered Dassen Island that there is uncertainty about its original species.
The island was named by Dutchman Van Spilbergen in 1601, after dassies which evidently occurred in abundance. Early records describe the island as covered in plants about two meters tall, and riddled with burrows in which penguins bred.
During the mid-17th century the island functioned as an outpost of the Dutch East India Company. Seals, birds and fish were caught to supply the settlement at the Cape. Sheep, pig and rabbit farming was also attempted, but was unsuccessful due to the shortage of fresh water. The Island still has a large population of now-wild rabbits which overgraze the spars vegetation, particularly during the summer months. Large numbers of Cape Fur seals used to breed on the island, but were hunted extensively for meat and fur from the 17th century until the mid-20th century and are now rarely seen.
During the mid 1840’s the island’s guano cover was removed for use in fertilisers. From 1870 until 1967 penguin eggs were exploited for public consumption. This practice reached a peak in 1919, when almost 600 000 fresh eggs were collected from the island. It is estimated that the penguin population had to have been about 400 000 to have produced this number of eggs. In the early 1990’s the penguin population had fallen to around 25 000 birds, demonstrating the devastating effect of egg collection. The penguin colonies have since been stabilised, aided by the Island’s status as a nature reserve.
House mice were accidentally introduced and later cats were brought to control the mice, but also fed on birds and rabbits. Angulate tortoises, originally from the mainland, and guinea fowl-brought as eggs from Robben Island – also occur on Dassen Island. Management of the Island includes control of these alien animal species.
The island was named by Dutchman Van Spilbergen in 1601, after dassies which evidently occurred in abundance. Early records describe the island as covered in plants about two meters tall, and riddled with burrows in which penguins bred.
Seabirds
Dassen Island’s most significant animals are the seabirds, particularly the large populations of African penguin, white pelican, African black oystercatcher, three species of cormorant, and kelp gull. In addition Egyptian geese, sacred ibis, Cape wagtail, Hartlaub’s gull and swift tern breed on the island in smaller numbers. Pelagic species, including Antarctic terns, Sabine’s gull skuas and white chinned petrel occasionally visit the island, and despite some human presence, the birds are far better protected than on the mainland.
The breeding seasons of the various seabird species are staggered through the year and their colonies are scattered over the entire island. The birds are extremely sensitive when breeding- even the slightest disturbance may cause the abandon their nests, giving marauding gulls and ibises to take eggs or small chicks. For this reason public access to the island is limited and strictly controlled.
Cape Nature conservation 11/1997
Dassen Island’s most significant animals are the seabirds, particularly the large populations of African penguin, white pelican, African black oystercatcher, three species of cormorant, and kelp gull.
