The Knysna Heads

One of the Garden Route's most famous landmark must surely be the Knysna Heads, standing guard over the entrance to the Knysna Lagoon. Heads is short for headlands and the two Knysna Heads is probably just about as popular for travellers to photograph than Table Mountain. The Eastern Head, from where the picture above was taken, is … Continue reading The Knysna Heads →

Karatara

I know that the photos in today's post isn't the most scenic, but I wanted to end off the posts about Knysna's miners and woodcutters of the last couple of weeks where it all ended for most of those woodcutters. The woodcutters eked out an existence in the Knysna forest for about 200 years, frequently exploited … Continue reading Karatara →

Knysna yachts sunset

As I have said in a previous post, I tried to get a different sunset pic each night during our stay in Knysna. On this specific evening I headed down to the Knysna Quays to see what I could find there for a sunset scene. The yachts at anchor in the little harbour made for the ideal … Continue reading Knysna yachts sunset →

Knysna forest graves

What would an expedition into the Knysna forest be without looking for some of the graves that belong to the woodcutters and miners from back in the days? My map of the forest showed "graves" close to Millwood and I ventured down a short narrow dirt road to have a look. The small sign at the gate called … Continue reading Knysna forest graves →

San Ambrosa Church

One of Daleen Matthee's books, The Mulberry Forest, tells the story of a group of Italian silk farmers who where brought to Knysna to farm with silk worms and start up a silk spinning industry. They were settled at Gouna in a forest clearing occupied by a headstrong Silas Miggel and his daughter. When it was … Continue reading San Ambrosa Church →

Knysna Lagoon Sunset – "Great Ball of Fire"

I really like sunrise and sunset pictures, but don't get out nearly enough to shoot them. We spent 5 days in Knysna and I made it my mission to find a different spot every afternoon for sunset. The first picture is just a straight forward "sunset over the water" picture and unfortunately I had no subject to … Continue reading Knysna Lagoon Sunset – "Great Ball of Fire" →

Bendigo Gold Mine

Just up the road from the remains of the Millwood mining town outside Knysna is what is left of the old Bendigo Gold Mine. At the height of the gold rush in Knysna in the late 1880's up to twelve vessels per month docked in the harbour, bringing in mining machinery for mines like Bendigo and taking out … Continue reading Bendigo Gold Mine →

Millwood mining town

After the 1885 discovery of gold in the forests about 15 km's outside of Knysna, a small town mushroomed up just about overnight as miners flowed into the area. At its height the town consisted of 75 wood and iron cottages, 6 hotels, 4 boarding houses, a hospital, Methodist Church, a number of general dealers, bakers, … Continue reading Millwood mining town →

Jubilee Creek

Most people visiting the Knysna forest normally head towards the Millwood goldfields northwest of Knysna. Just after the Daleen Matthee Memorial the road passes what is arguably the most breathtaking picnic spot in the forest, Jubilee Creek. It is situated next to a beautiful stream and surrounded by indigenous forests with shaded grassy areas to relax … Continue reading Jubilee Creek →

Daleen Matthee Memorial

One of my favorite writers is the late Daleen Matthee and it is because of the 4 books she has based in the Knysna forest that I have such a fascinating interest in the forests of the Southern Cape. All four of these books (Circles in the Forest, Fiela's Child, The Mulberry Forest and Dream Forest) … Continue reading Daleen Matthee Memorial →