My Old Fort adventure in Durban

I get to visit Durban once a year during the annual Tourism Indaba but other than stopping in Umhlanga and taking walks on the beachfront, I've never really had an opportunity to explore the city much.  This year I decided to pinch off an hour to explore and discover at least one new place and the choice fell on The Old Fort.  From outside the place didn't look like much but I pressed on and in and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.  When the Dutch arrived in the small settlement of Durban in 1842 the British weren't too impressed to see the Dutch flag flying at the Point.  A armed force of a few hundred were sent to the settlement to sort the Dutch out and was surprised by some stern resistance.  After having to retreat back to the camp Dick King set off on his famous overland horse ride to Grahamstown to fetch reinforcements.

The camp didn't really provide the British with much shelter and during a 24-hour truce called to bury the their dead, the British moved quickly to strengthen it.  Sixty wagons was pulled in a circle around the tented camp and a trench dug around the perimeter.  The excavated soil was used to build up a mount in front with parts of the trench and mount still visible today.  During the siege the Boers shot 651 cannon balls and thousands of bullets at the British.  Many of the cannon balls were dug up and reused after having been fired at them by the Brits.

 

. The battle went on for a whole five weeks until it was finally ended with the arrival of two British ships, a schooner called the Conch, and the Royal Navy’s frigate HMS Southampton, with reinforcements.  Dick King had succeeded.  The Dutch were sent packing as far back as Cowies Hill and the rebellion was over.  The British was back in full control of Natal.

 

The Old Fort was continuously used as barracks until 1897 and today it's an open air museum of sorts.  The old magazine building has been converted into a chapel while aged military veterans live in rooms that used to be the military barracks.  The gardens that can be found through out the fort complex is littered with historical and interesting items, amongst them a bench made from timber of HMS Southampton, a cannon recovered from the wreck of the Grosvener (1782), and plaques commemorating the heroic journeys of John Ross and Dick King.  The South African Heavy Artillery Memorial can also be found in the fort's gardens.

 

Before I knew it my hour was over and I had to get back to what brought me to Durban in the first place.  Perhaps in the future I will get other opportunities to explore the city and expand my knowledge of the city a little more.

South African Heavy Artillery Memorial in Durban

I wouldn't really call war memorials a specific interest on my side, but I really enjoy discovering historic sites and attractions.  Just about every city and town in South Africa has a war memorial of some sort and Durban is no different.  Usually cities have a number of war related memorials and the first one I found in Durban was the city's South African Heavy Artillery Memorial, one of six around South Africa. 

 

After the end of World War I the Imperial Government presented 6 howitzer guns to the Union of South Africa.  The guns were used by the South African Heavy Artillery Association to honour their fallen Comrades-in-Arms and the six South African Heavy Artillery Memorials were created.  The six memorials can be found in the following places:

• Johannesburg Zoo - Memorial to 71st (Transvaal) Siege Battery
• Clyde N Terry Museum in Kimberley - 72nd (Griqualand West) Siege Battery
• Company Gardens in Cape Town - 73rd (Cape) Siege Battery
• National Museum in Bloemfontein - 74th (Eastern Province) Siege Battery
• Union Buildings in Pretoria - 125th (Transvaal) Siege Battery)
• Warriors' Gate MOTH Shellhole in Old Fort Road, Durban - 75th (Natal) Siege Battery

#Iam4rhinos

 

I can't think that there are many people out there who doesn't know about the plight of the rhino yet 618 rhino has been killed by poachers in South Africa this year so far to satisfy the demand for rhino horn in the East.  At this rate rhino could disappear of the face of this earth before I have grandchildren one day and posts like this would only be possible with old photos or ones like this rhino conservation piece outside the Durban ICC.  In 2010 the WWF South Africa established World Rhino Day to take places annually on 22 September to focus on raising awareness on the increased threat of rhino poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn. The day has become a global phenomenon and gives concerned citizens the opportunity to stand up for rhino conservation.  This year the campaign was taken another step up with the appeal to Twitter users to use the hash tag #iam4rhinos and get 1 000 000 tweets for rhino conservation.  As I'm typing this the number is standing on 130 336 130 341 130 357 130 400 and counting.  Keep track of the campaign on #Iam4rhinos.

The idea for the bronze rhino outside the Durban ICC was born during the planning of the Fifth World Parks Congress which took place in the city in 2003.  The rhino is installed on a plinth with the following inscription:  "The White Rhinoceros" This dramatic and powerful animal is a symbol of the contribution made to SOUTH AFRICA by BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION the endeavours of which have led to the RESTORATION OF OUR WILDLIFE HERITAGE and A MASSIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF SOUTH AFRICA. It also celebrates the holding of the Fifth World Parks Congress at the Durban ICC, September 2003. Commissioned by THE CONSERVATION TRUST".

Zulu warrior figures

The figures of two fighting Zulu warriors in the main entrance of the

Sibaya Entertainment Kingdom outside Durban

Umhlanga Pier

Many visitors to the beachfront at Umhlanga Rocks take a walk onto the 80 meter long Umhlanga Pier to enjoy the view of the coastline and the Umhlanga Lighthouse close by.  What many of these visitors don't know though is that the pier was actually built to assist with the dispersal of storm water into the sea.  Before the pier was built storm water used to be discharged onto the beach at Granny's Pool.  A large underground box culvert was constructed from Lagoon Drive and the pier is a continuation of the culvert, taking the water directly into the sea.

Umhlanga Lighthouse

The 21 meter tall red and white Umhlanga Lighthouse is probably the best known lighthouse on the KwaZulu Natal coastline.  Umhlanga Rocks is situated on what was originally part of the sugar estate of Sir Marshall Campbell and means Place of Reeds in the Zulu language.  This refers to the beds of reeds that accumulate on the banks of the Ohlanga River a few kilometres north of town.  Incidentally Sir Marshall was also the person who introduced the colourful rickshaws to Durban's beachfront.  When a track was made from Mount Edgercombe to Umhlanga Rocks, the area became popular with local farmers who leased small plots on the shoreline to built vacation cottages.  From there it developed into the popular seaside resort it is today.

 

The lighthouse was completed in 1954 and replaced the Bluff Lighthouse, which was commissioned in 1869 but had to be abandoned due to its rapid deterioration.  The flashing light is a welcome sight to ships sailing into the safety of the Durban harbour.  Except for its main light its also has a fixed red light that enables ships waiting to anchor in the outer anchorage to monitor their position. If the red light can be seen, it suggests the ships' anchors have probably dragged and is too close to shore.  The Oyster Box Hotel, which was built in 1869 and was originally the first beach cottage in the area, has been the lighthouse's official warden right from the start and the lighthouse controls are in the hotel office where staff monitor the controls and report to Portnet's Lighthouse Service.

Sibaya Entertainment Kingdom

Driving from the uShaka International Airport to Durban along the coastal (Umhlanga) road, the African themed Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom is visible on the hillside.  I didn't have time to look around the casino but did take a drive up to the entrance before I had to be on my way again.  There are some beautiful coastal views from up there.  Sibaya is one of two licenced casinos in Durban and if you do decided to visit it, gamble responsibly.

Tourism Indaba 2013

I want to share a couple of scenes from the recent Indaba with you, but first a quick generic explanation to those who don't know what Indaba is.  Tourism Indaba, hosted by South African Tourism, is an annual tourism trade show that takes place in Durban in early May.  Indaba is the biggest tourism trade show on the African continent and one of the top three internationally and brings together product and destinations with buyers from all over the world.  But Indaba is so much more than an exhibition.  It also includes speed marketing sessions, workshops, launches, awards, functions and lots of technology.  This year SA Tourism launched their #MeetSouthAfrica campaign just before Indaba with 15 international bloggers travelling all over South Africa blogging, Facbooking, Tweeting and Instagramming about their experiences.  This was followed by a travel bloggers conference on the day before Indaba where some of the bloggers told delegates more about how bloggers can benefit tourism products and destinations and obviously about their trip.  

 

Delegates received a warm South African welcome at the airport as well as entering the Durban ICC

The exhibition space is split between the Durban International Convention Centre and the Durban Exhibition Centre as well as outside exhibitors in between

 

 The Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (seeing that I don't blog for a living I need to earn my daily bread somewhere) stand with my colleague Seekoei (the name he goes by online) manning the front desk

 



On the left a delegate is trying out the interactive video wall on the SA Tourism stand while on the right is a chalk drawing outside the Heritage and Cultural Pavilion

 

Sand sculptures done between the ICC and DEC

The Heritage and Cultural Pavilion was a new (and popular) addition to Indaba 2013 and showcased some of the country's top heritage and cultural attractions.  Although there were brochures available, all the information was on display on iPads on the wall as well as through Poken scanners. 

South Beach sunrise

Sunrise over Durban's South Beach

Hazy Durban sunrise

I was enjoying the slightly hazy sunrise in Durban when I noticed a ship approaching through the haze on its way to the harbour.

Durban beachfront panorama

Yet again I spent nearly a week in Durban for Tourism Indaba with very little time to get out and take a couple of photos.  I did get to take a walk along the beachfront at South Beach on the morning of my departure and managed this panorama shot from one of the piers.  Click on the picture to see the enlarged version.