Stilbaai

Stilbaai

Stilbaai, with the Dutch Reformed Church in Stilbaai West, looking east
Stilbaai

 Stilbaai shown within South Africa

Coordinates: 34°22′06″S 21°24′40″E / 34.36833°S 21.41111°ECoordinates: 34°22′06″S 21°24′40″E / 34.36833°S 21.41111°E
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District Eden
Municipality Hessequa
Established 1894
Area[1]
 • Total 25.48 km2 (9.84 sq mi)
Highest elevation 18 m (59 ft)
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 3,514
 • Density 140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 3.5%
 • Coloured 3.2%
 • Indian/Asian 0.1%
 • White 92.3%
 • Other 0.8%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Afrikaans 84.5%
 • English 13.7%
 • Other 1.8%
Postal code (street) 6674
PO box 6674
Area code 028

Stilbaai, also known as the Bay of Sleeping Beauty, is a town along the southern coast of South Africa about four hours by car from Cape Town. It is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape province. Alternate spellings of the town's name include Stillbay, Stilbay and Stillbaai.

The town hosts a variety of B&B lodges and hosts surfing and swimming. During the peak of summer the warm waters at times become packed with blue bottles (a stinging sea creature also known as a Portuguese Man-of-War) when an easterly wind is blowing and the chance of being stung by one is high.

Climate

Stilbaai has a temperate climate and receives almost the same amount of rainfall in all four seasons, with peaks in autumn and spring. Temperature averages between 20° and 28° Celsius in the summer and between 12° and 20° Celsius in the winter. Rainfall is 639,2 mm per annum on average.[2]

Nature

Stilbaai owns a large selection of nature reserves. To the east is Pauline Bohnen Nature Reserve, a large reserve with various hiking routes. The Skulpiesbaai Nature Reserve is situated near the harbour and reaches up to the "Noordkapperpunt" fishponds. The Geelkrants Nature Reserve is situated next to the "Pulpit".

Stilbaai is host to a number of interesting archaeological sites, including ancient fish traps thought to have been built by early ancestors of the Khoi people of the Southern Cape, and a shell landfill that has been carbon dated to around 1000 BC.

Another archaeological site is situated in a group of caves at Blombos cave, about 12 kilometers from Stilbaai. Artifacts found at Blombos have been carbon dated to around 77,000 BP, making it the oldest known human settlement today.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Main Place Stilbaai". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ Die Burger 1996. Visited 7 January 2012

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stilbaai.