| Scottburgh | |
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Scottburgh
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
Scottburgh (pronounced scott-burra) is a resort town situated on the mouth of the Mpambanyoni River (confuser of birds), 58 km south of Durban on KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in South Africa. Neighbouring towns include Pennington, Renishaw, Freeland Park, Umkomaas, Sezela, Bazley, Amahlongwa, Clansthal, Park Rynie and Dududu.
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Named after Natal Colony Governor John Scott and in 1860 it became the first township to be laid out south of Durban, but was initially known as Devonport. Scottburgh then became a very promising port as well as a new attractive location for sugar farms and sugar mills. In about 1850 the town started to attract immigrants especially from the United Kingdom, known as the Bryne Settlers. They came to take advantage of the good harbours, both locally and at Durban, and to export their sugar both internally and externally. Often mispronounced or misspelled "Scottsburgh", Scottburgh became a municipality in 1964.
Scottburgh is situated on the South Bank of the Mpambinyoni River, a short river that culminates in a lagoon. The Mpambinyoni mouth has fluctuated in surface area and volume dramatically over the years, largely due to the frequent droughts, occasional cyclones, and other extreme weather conditions that can affect KwaZulu-Natal.
Most notorious of the above-mentioned cyclones was Cyclone Demoina of 1984 and the floods of 1987 which resulted in widespread flooding and infrastructural damage, including the destruction of the Old Main Road bridge from Durban and Umkomaas.
Scottburgh has a number of educational institutions, including a number of pre-primary schools, a bilingual Primary School, and an English Language High School.
Wildlife found regularly inside the township includes snakes, skinks, geckos, numerous insects, millipedes, bushbuck, mongi, and most famously, large numbers of vervet monkeys. Genets have been sighted, and there are occasional unverified spottings of civets and similar small felines and cat-like mammals. Birds are abundant, perhaps the most noticeable being the raucous and much-loved Hadeda Ibis. The Indian Mynah is widespread but regarded as a pest due to its habits of defecating in public restaurants and eating areas and pillaging the nests of native birds. This bird has presented similar problems in other areas in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The sardine run is also visible from the shores of Scottburgh and its surroundings most winters. The Umdoni and Strelitzia are the best-known trees specifically associated with Scottburgh and its environs.
Well-known people associated with Scottburgh include Dr T.C. Robertson, world-renowned conservationist and author; former Springbok rugby player Joel Stransky and the late conservationist Tony Pooley.
Scottburgh is also particularly renowned for its large surfing community. Superior waves are to be found along the coast, especially during the winter months. Popular spots include Green Point, Pennington, Kelso, Scottburgh and Rocky Bay. Many other perfect breaks along this coast can be found. Surfers and Bodyboarders from around the world come for surf trips around the south coast, and would visit Scottburgh in particular for its world wide surfing reputation.
However, one appeal of Scottburgh Beach is in its grass-covered banks leading down to sandy beaches, which have made it a popular holiday resort for South Africans and foreign holidaymakers alike for many years.
Most Scottburgh residents work for small local businesses or the state sector, while larger industries are located in the nearby towns of Umkomaas, Umzinto, and Sezela. A number of residents also commute to work in Durban and nearby parts the wider eThekwini metropolitan area such as Amanzimtoti and Kingsburgh.
North of the Mpambinyoni lies the suburb of Freeland Park, largely residential but also possessing the Cutty Sark Hotel and a river populated by juvenile and adolescent crocodiles. These crocodiles are also the product of the 1987 cyclone, when infant crocodiles escaped from the nearby Crocworld theme park. South of Scottburgh proper, and separated from it by the Country Club, Golf Course, and a considerable expanse of bush, is Scottburgh South, and a few kilometres inland lies the Sugarcane farming hamlet of Renishaw, most well-known for its chapel.