In yesterday's post I wrote about the Bulk River and Sand River that flows into the Elands River west of Port Elizabeth. The Sand River Dam is fairly close to the Elands River Road while the Bulk River Dam can just be glimpsed from the road. In the picture is the Bulk River with the dam … Continue reading Bulk River valley
Tag: Swartkops area
Sand River Dam
Port Elizabeth's earliest water supply came from the Shark River at Happy Valley and the Donkin Stream next to the Donkin Reserve. As the city started to grow in its early days of development the demand for water far exceeded this meager supply. After a competition held by the Port Elizabeth city council in 1862 to … Continue reading Sand River Dam
Groendal – Upper Swartkops River
The Groendal Wilderness Area just outside Uitenhage is the ideal spot to go and loose yourself in a natural area for the weekend while actually still being fairly close to the city. Groendal is typically characterised by rugged terrain, streams and vast ravines and is surrounded by the Groot Winterhoek Mountain range. The reserve is … Continue reading Groendal – Upper Swartkops River
Swartkops River Estuary
Returning to Port Elizabeth on the same flight I snapped yesterday's Colchester dunefield on, I got this picture of the Sundays River estuary as one looks up towards Uitenhage from Algoa Bay.
Groendal reflection
The residents of Nelson Mandela Bay is very fortunate to have a place like the Groendal Wilderness Area right outside our "back door". (Hopefully I don't insult any of Uitenhage's residents by saying it that way) The 30 000 hectare Groendal Wilderness Area protects the water catchment area of the Swartkops River with the Groendal … Continue reading Groendal reflection
Amsterdamhoek across the water
The riverside suburb of Amsterdamhoek on the banks of the Swartkops river, named after a Dutch ship (Amsterdam) that sank off the river mouth in 1817.
Down the Swartkops River
After showing you the views up and across the Swartkops River, I decided to add the view down stream as well, just for good measure.
Up the Swartkops River
Looking up the Swartkops River from the same spot on the Aloe Trail from where yesterday's photo of the old power station was taken from.
Power Station view
Standing at one of the view points on the Aloe Trail in Bluewater Bay there are great views both up as well as down the Swartkops River. Looking across the river you can see the old Swartkops power station with townships and Northern areas in the background.
Aloe Nature Reserve
Port Elizabeth has some very beautiful and naturally diverse nature reserves in and around the city. The nice part is that they all have hiking trails through them and its possible to do them either on your own (always keep safety in mind and walk in at least a small group rather than on your … Continue reading Aloe Nature Reserve
Firefly the Travel Guy 