“Hout Bay is a sort-of monumental amphitheatre for itself and much of the loveliest history, anthropology, zoology and virtuosity of the enclave is visible from along the breezy shoreline.”
This is the blurb written by Cameron Peters, of Vredehoek, to promote his heritage tour of Hout Bay.
When Mr Peters returned home to Cape Town after completing a Masters in film study, his career was put on hold with the arrival of the pandemic. As a voracious reader, he started dipping into books about the city’s history and regaling friends with the facts he uncovered. Then he started taking people on tours to pay the bills.
What started out as a hobby and side hustle became Cape Town Heritage Tours, and Mr Peters now runs 14 historical tours across the south peninsula every Sunday at 10am or 2pm.
On Saturday April 13, he led 20 people on a tour across Hout Bay. Each participant received a “Republic of Hout Bay passport” (a gimmick devised by Lions and the Rotary Club to promote tourism and raise funds for charity), with a warning from Mr Peters to only use it in Hout Bay because apparently it has popped up in countries around the world.
Mr Peters told the group about the Beach Hotel, which was renamed the Chapman’s Peak Hotel in 1961, and how it burnt down; the converted windmill that became the Red Sails Restaurant, where the Thomas family sold crayfish for 85 cents; and a chandelier that has travelled the world, hanging in several churches before Hout Bay’s St Peter the Fisherman Anglican Church became its home.
The tour delved into the history of the Mainstream Mall, the decades of dune control, fishing and the days when the Disa River was wide enough to take ships filled with wood cut from the upper slopes to the sea and around to Cape Town Harbour.
Mr Peters also asked questions, giving locals a chance to tell what they know about the area’s secrets.
Rosie and Paul Maguire, who have lived in Hout Bay for 22 years, said they wanted to know the secrets of the suburb. They have been on other tours with Mr Peters and had been keen to do this one after seeing it advertised on social media.
Glynis Heasley, of Somerset West, said she had done the Simon’s Town, V&A Waterfront and Gardens tours and enjoyed learning about the local history.
So, if you want to know where the local ghosts hang out, who paid for the bronze leopard standing guard at the southern end of the beach and other interesting trivia, call Mr Peters at 076 033 8164 or email cameron@cybertek.co.za
