Lamberts Bay
Municipality
Municipality: Cederberg Local Municipality
Attractions
Also see the neighbouring towns
Lamberts Bay is a seaside village about 280Km north of
Sandveld Museum
Sandveld Museum has a range of exhibitions, among others of the lifestyle of the early inhabitants of this area.
- There is a photo and letters exhibition starting from about 1800.
- Exhibition on the HMS Sybille shipwreck - artefacts, articles, photos
- Fishing community
- Photo exhibition of farms in the area
- Farm implements of previous eras
- Exhibition of an historical lounge (voorhuis) and kitchen, with artifacts from the time of the Dutch East India Company
- Gun collection with guns from various eras
- Various items ranging from a coin collection, a Christian Bible printed in 1682
- Exhibition of paraphernalia of rugby Springbok Jan Boland Coetzee
- Archaeological exhibition
Contact: Sanet 072-151-5299
Crayfish
The cold Benguela current creates a favourable environment for crayfish. Delicious crayfish is found along the South African West Coast.
Bird Island Nature Reserve
There are only 6 islands in the world where the gannet (malgas) breeds, and Bird Island is one of them. This island, on which about 15% (about 22'000 birds) of the global gannet population breeds, is the only one accessible to tourists.
Gannets live on sardines and pilchard, which are in abundance on the West Coast. Their eggs are blue, and hatching takes 97 days.
There are also seals on the island.
Contact: 083-726-2207. R15 per person
Heaviside Dolphin
The Heaviside Dolphin is endemic to the south and southwest coasts of South Africa and Namibia. This dolphyn can be seen at Lamberts Bay. The dolphin was first noted by Captain Heaviside in 1828.
Contact: Ron Selly 082-922-4334.
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The Dunes
The Dunes covers an area of 250Ha for hiking, 4x4 drives and quadbikes.
Contact: Theo Kitching 083-306-6684.
Restaurants
Muisbosskerm is an open air restaurant specialising in seafood.
Contact: 027-432-1017.
Bosduifklip combines seafood and other dishes in a farm style environment.
Contact: 027-432-2735.
Steenbokfontein
Steenbokfontein, about 9Km south of Lamberts Bay, is a historical farm, now a nature reserve, with many different attractions. The farmstead was built in 1864 and serves Sandveld cuisine. There is an annual art exhibition in September.
Cave
Archaelogical diggings have uncovered evidence dating to 8500 years ago. Marks made by elephants against the rocks have been dated to 8000 years ago.
More recently the Dutch Governnor Simon van der Stel spent sopme time in the cave.
HMS Sybille shipwreck
During the Second Anglo Boer War (1899-1902), in 1901 the British gunboat HMS Sybille was shipwrecked at Lamberts Bay. This was the only British ship that sank during this war. The wreck can be seen during low tide from the farm. The propellor of the boat can be viewed at the Sandveld Museum.
Labyrinth
Visitors can walk a labyrinth on the farm.
Contact: Kitta Burger 027-432-2720.
Hiking
The West Coast Hiking Trail passes through Lamberts Bay. The trail runs from Elands Bay to Ebenhaeser.
Events
Crayfish Festival
The annual Crayfish Festival is held in March. See photos.
Art exhibition
There is an annual art exhibition in September.
Things to do
Hiking, 4x4 trails, sand skiing, golf (8 holes), surfing, water skiing.
Olifants River wine route
Wine tasting can be done on the Olifants River wine route.
Namaqualand Flowers
Springtime (around September) the greater region of Namaqualand is covered by wild flowers which covers the earth like a carpet. Lamberts Bay is on the border between the winter and summer rainfall regions, and the surrounding areas are also covered in Namaqualand flowers.
Some of the flowers species that can be viewed are: Oxalis Morea, Pelargonium fulgidum, Ferraria, Felicia, Arctotis, Gazania species. This includes: Gousblomme, vygies, kapokbossies, skilpadbessiebos (Nylandtia) , Piet Snotjies (Grielum humifusum).
The following flowers are in bloom from August: Lebeckia, bokhorinkies, Nemesia, drumsticks, aandblomme, Hebenstreitia, Salvia, broodbos (Hermannia), kalkoentjies (Gladiolus), Lapeirousia anceps, Babiana (bobbejaantjie, rotstert).
History
The original people living in the area were the nomadic Khoi people (previously called Hottentot). The first Europeans to visit the area were the Portuguese sailors, who traded with the Khoi people.
Around 1800 Gerrit Erasmus Smit rented land in the area from the Dutch Government to raise cattle. He called this farm Otterdam.
In 1887 Joseph Carl Stephan, who began a shop in a ship at Laaiplek, bought the farm Otterdam on which Lamberts Bay was built. He used this natural harbor for shipping trade, especially wheat from the inland farms. He also built a hotel, the Marine Hotel. The settlement was named after Sir Robert Lambert, who surveyed the area between between 1826 and 1840.
In 1909 other people began to settle here after that portion of the farm was sold to the Government. Lamberts Bay became a local authority in 1929, and a municipality in 1969.
Climate
Lamberts Bay is in a winter rainfall region.
Economy
Fishing, potatoe farming and potatoe chip making, off-shore diamond mining.
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