Gordon's Bay

Gordon's Bay
Gordonsbaai

Harbour Island, Gordon's Bay
Gordon's Bay
Gordon's Bay
Gordon's Bay

 Gordon's Bay shown within Western Cape

Coordinates: 34°10′00″S 18°52′00″E / 34.16667°S 18.86667°E / -34.16667; 18.86667Coordinates: 34°10′00″S 18°52′00″E / 34.16667°S 18.86667°E / -34.16667; 18.86667
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
Municipality City of Cape Town
Area[1]
 • Total 9.67 km2 (3.73 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 16,776
 • Density 1,700/km2 (4,500/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 10.9%
 • Coloured 19.8%
 • Indian/Asian 1.5%
 • White 65.6%
 • Other 2.2%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Afrikaans 59.1%
 • English 32.6%
 • Xhosa 2.1%
 • Other 6.2%
Postal code (street) 7140
PO box 7151
Area code 021
An aerial photograph of the beach at Gordons Bay.

Gordon's Bay (Afrikaans: Gordonsbaai) is a harbour town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, close to Strand. It is situated on the northeastern corner of False Bay about 50 km from Cape Town to the south of the N2 (South Africa) national road and is named after Robert Jacob Gordon (1743–1795), the Dutch explorer of Scottish descent.[2]

Gordon's Bay is the smallest of three towns in the Helderberg region, so named after the Helderberg Mountain which is part of the Hottentots-Holland Mountains which dwarf the locality on two sides. Gordon's Bay was originally named "Fish Hoek", many years before the town of the same name, located on the western side of False Bay, was founded. Evidence of this can be seen on the outside wall of the local Post Office.

Gordon's Bay consists of the old village, situated around the old harbour and Bikini Beach, the mountainside on the lower slopes of the Hottentots-Holland mountains overlooking False Bay, and the low-lying suburbs close to the main beach, making up the most recent expansion of the town.

The older part of Gordon's Bay is host to the South African Naval College, an officer training center located adjacent to the old harbour and yacht marina. Above the harbour on the mountainside is a giant anchor and the letters "GB". Many think that this stands for Gordon's Bay, but in fact it stands for General Botha which was the original name of the Naval station in the town. The Steenbras Dam, Cape Town's primary supply of drinking water, is located on the mountain above the town.

Gordon's Bay is host to a blue flag beach, Bikini Beach. Bikini Beach is popular among both young and old, specifically students from the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University.[3] The Beach enjoys funding from the City of Cape Town to properly maintain facilities that include the public showers, changing rooms, clean bathrooms and a grassy promenade. The beach is also considered safe with regular patrols from a seasonal security guard.[4]

Coat of arms

Gordon's Bay was a municipality from 1961 to 1996. The town council assumed a coat of arms, designed by Schalk Pienaar, in July 1962,[5] and registered it with the Cape Provincial Administration in November 1962[6] and at the Bureau of Heraldry in November 1988.[7]

The arms were : Per chevron, the chief barry wavy Argent and Azure and the base Vert, in chief two anchors and in base a protea slipped and leaved, Or. In layman's terms, the shield was divided in two by a chevron-shaped line, the upper half displaying two golden anchors on a background of silver and blue wavy stripes, and the lower half a golden protea flower on a green background.

The crest was a yacht in full sail, and the motto Sol et salubritas.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gordon's Bay.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gordon's Bay.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Gordon's Bay". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ Robert Jacob Gordon 1743-1795: The Man and His Travels at the Cape - Patrick Cullinan Winchester Struik (1992)
  3. ↑ http://blueflag.org.za/index.php/beaches/full-status/bikini-beach.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.gbsec.co.za/security.html
  5. ↑ Western Cape Archives : Gordon's Bay Municipal Minutes (25 July 1962).
  6. ↑ Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette 3161 (23 November 1962).
  7. ↑ http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za
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