On Saturday 24 September, on Heritage Day, a fun family event will focus on the whales in Cape Town’s South Peninsula, and their history, importance, and the threat to their existence through A Whale of a Heritage Route, reports the Weekend Argus.

Designed by Alan Lindner, a consulting strategist who started A Whale of a Heritage Trail in 2006, a ‘history hunt’ along ‘The Old Whaling Route’ has been organised. Families are invited to participate in the event, with clues provided and requiring participants to travel by train and walk between Muizenberg and Fish Hoek.  The activities and clues will teach the participants about the threat to whales from plastic and ropes in the sea, how to calculate the mass of a whale, about Southern Right whales, and who hunted the whales and how.   They will have to find a whale scalpula in a Kalk Bay shop; go to The Great Whalery in Fish Hoek, where whales were dragged up onto rocks; find a whale jawbone in the Fish Hoek Valley Museum; search for two whalers’ cottages (photograph); and may even be lucky to see whales in False Bay. Local tour guide Brian Smith, who specialises in whale history, will assist the participants.

“A live whale creates more revenue than a dead one.  When people visit whale-spotting areas, there is an economic spin-off for all the businesses in the area”, said Mr Lindner.

The timing of A Whale of a Heritage Route is perfect, given that September is #MyCapeTown month, highlighting the attractions of Cape Town to Capetonians, and encouraging them to be tourists in their own city.

A Whale of a Heritage Route, 24 September.  Meet at corner Church and Palmer Roads in Muizenberg at 9h00.  R75 includes hop-on hop-off train tickets.  Tel 079 391 2105.  www.awhaleofaheritageroute.co.za

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage