Tag Archives: Granger Bay

Will Greenmarket Square in Cape Town go green and become a market again?

imageInteresting news from the Oranjezicht City Farm is that the City of Cape Town has announced a public participation process for Greenmarket Square, calling for proposals as to how the historic city centre space can be used to its best potential.

In the weekly newsletter of the Oranjezicht City Farm the historic use of Greenmarket Square is detailed, dating back to 1696. Its first building is what is now the Old Town House. After a number of name changes over a hundred year period, the block was named ‘Groente Markt‘, home to the city’s vegetable market. The area has subsequently served as a slave Continue reading →

Oranjezicht City Farm Market now has a seaview, lots of parking!

imageYesterday my friend Jenny and I visited the new venue of the Oranjezicht City Farm Market in the V&A Waterfront, alongside Beach Road near the Grand Café on the Beach at Granger Bay.  The new venue offers lots of space, all on the same level, and all under cover, which makes it more suitable for the Cape winter, with lots of parking.

I was overseas when the market moved to its new home in June,  from the charming grounds of Premier Helen Zille’s official Leeuwenhof residence in Tamboerskloof.  However, the venue was not ideal for the Cape winter, necessitating the new venue until October. Straw soaked up the aftermath of the heavy rainstorm of Friday when we visited on a beautiful sunny day, there being little effect of the Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 21 May

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Daniel ‘Harry Potter’ Radcliffe was spotted climbing Table Mountain yesterday.  He is in Cape Town for the filming of ‘Game Changer’.

*   Lion’s Head is closed to hikers, due to a rockfall, but Table Mountain National Park is hoping to re-open it in time for the weekend.

*   Cape Vintner Classification will be launched officially at the London Wine Fair this week, to counter the image of our country’s wines as ‘cheap and cheerful‘.  The Classification will represent the 80% of brands that make up 10% of our wine export volume, and will market quality local Continue reading →

Western Cape has largest number of Blue Flag beaches!

Camps Bay beach Blue FlagThe Western Cape has 27 Blue Flag beaches, the largest percentage of the 45 Blue Flag beaches awarded in our country in total this year. More than 4000 Blue Flag beaches have been accredited world-wide.  In addition, five marinas and six whale-watching boats were accredited, and some pilot Blue Flag beaches have been announced.  All the beaches in the Hessequa Municipality (Stilbaai, Witsand, Gouritzmond, and more) have achieved Blue Flag status.

The Blue Flag status of each beach is done by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, based on international standards for water and beach cleanliness, water and sand quality, and environmental education and management, set by the Foundation for Environmental Education.  The number of Blue Flag beaches awarded locally is growing year on year since the beach accreditation system was introduced in our country 13 years ago.

The Blue Flag Beaches, and accredited marina and whale-watching boats, in the Western Cape are the following: Continue reading →