Silvermine Nature Reserve

Last updated

Silvermine Nature Reserve
SilvermineNatureReserve.jpg
Silvermine Nature Reserve with on the right hand side the Silvermine reservoir
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Cape Town, South Africa
Coordinates 34°04′26″S18°23′42″E / 34.074°S 18.395°E / -34.074; 18.395
Area2000 ha
Created1965 [1]
Official website
View of Silvermine Nature Reserve mountains from Tokai, Cape Town View of Silvermine Nature Reserve Mountains from Tokai, Cape Town.jpg
View of Silvermine Nature Reserve mountains from Tokai, Cape Town

Silvermine Nature Reserve forms part of the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. It covers the section of the Cape Peninsula mountain range from the Kalk Bay mountains through to Constantiaberg. The area is a significant conservation area for the indigenous fynbos vegetation, which is of the montane cone-bush type at this location. [2]

The Ou Kaapse Weg main road runs through the reserve, cutting it into a northern and southern section. The Silvermine reservoir, on the north side, was built in 1898 to supply water to Cape Town. [1]

Until 2000, there were significant pine stands in the reserve, but the last of these were felled in following the major fire in that year. The area was again burnt in March 2015 and the reserve was closed for the rest of the year. [3]

The area is popular for walking, hiking, picnicking, and mountain biking. There are a number of sandstone cave systems in the reserve and there are rock climbing routes on Muizenberg Peak. [4] [5]

The Silvermine River (Western Cape), which starts in the reserve and runs to Clovelly, is the only river in the Cape Peninsula that runs its whole course without going through a developed area.[ citation needed ] [6]

On 8 March 1973, Prime Minister B.J. Vorster officially opened the South African Navy's R15m Maritime Operational and Communications Headquarters at Silvermine, West Lake, near Simonstown, Cape Peninsula. [7] The South African Navy's Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is in an underground bunker on the lower slopes of the Silvermine mountain. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Town</span> Legislative capital of South Africa

Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city, after Johannesburg, and the largest in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape of Good Hope</span> Headland of Cape Peninsula, South Africa

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table Mountain</span> Flat-topped mountain overlooking the city of Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. Table Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in South Africa, attracting 4.2 million people every year for various activities. The mountain has 8,200 plant species, of which around 80% are fynbos, meaning fine bush. It forms part of the Table Mountain National Park, and part of the lands formerly ranged by Khoe-speaking clans, such as the !Uriǁʼaes. It is home to a large array of mostly endemic fauna and flora. Its top elevates about 1,000 m above the surrounding city, making the popular hike upwards on a large variety of different, often steep and rocky pathways a serious mountain tour which requires fitness, preparation and hiking equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Trail</span> Hiking trail in Ontario, Canada

The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than 890 km (550 mi) long and there are over 400 km (250 mi) of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the nineteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada. The land the trail traverses is owned by the Government of Ontario, local municipalities, local conservation authorities, private landowners, and the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC). The Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada. Its name is linked to the Bruce Peninsula and Bruce County, through which the trail runs. The trail is named after the county, which was named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin who was the Governor General of the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve</span> Nature Reserve in Gauteng, South Africa

Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve is a protected area which encompasses most of the Suikerbosrand Range, South Africa. It is one of Gauteng's most frequented ecotourism locations, located approximately 50 kilometres south-east of Johannesburg, just west of the town of Heidelberg in the upper catchment of the Klip and Suikerbosrand rivers. The altitude varies between 1,545 and 1,917 m above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muizenberg</span> Coastal town in the Western Cape, South Africa

Muizenberg is a beach-side town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast. It is considered to be the main surfing spot in Cape Town and is currently home to a surfing community, centered on the popular 'Surfer's Corner'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noordhoek, Cape Town</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Noordhoek is a seaside town in the Western Cape, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula and is approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the south of Cape Town. The name "Noordhoek" was taken from Dutch and literally means "north corner". It was given this name in 1743 as being the northern corner of the Slangkop farm. The first permanent resident of European origin is Jaco Malan who built his house there. In 1857, the region was divided into six plots, most of which were bought by a single family, that of the de Villiers. Noordhoek nevertheless remains a predominantly rural area where farmers grow vegetables to supply ships calling at Simon's Town. It is best known for its shoreline and its long, wide, sandy beach, which stretches south to the neighbouring village of Kommetjie. Near the southern end of this beach is the wreck of the steamship "Kakapo", which ran aground in 1900, when the captain mistook Chapman's Peak for the Cape of Good Hope and put the helm over to port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table Mountain National Park</span> A nature conservation area on the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on 29 May 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation. The park is managed by South African National Parks. The property is included as part of the UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsitsikamma National Park</span> Protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa

The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is a coastal reserve well known for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail. On 6 March 2009 it was amalgamated with the Wilderness National Park and various other areas of land to form the Garden Route National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helderberg</span> Region of the City of Cape Town, South Africa

Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast Trail</span> Long-distance footpath in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The East Coast Trail (ECT) is a long-distance coastal footpath located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is a developed trail over 336 kilometres (209 mi) long, the creation of which began in 1994. It is made up of 25 linked wilderness paths and passes through more than 30 communities. It was named one of the best adventure destinations by National Geographic in 2012 and is extended and improved yearly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Lowry's Pass</span> Mountain pass in Western Cape, South Africa

Sir Lowry's Pass is a mountain pass on the N2 national road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It crosses the Hottentots Holland Mountains between Somerset West and the Elgin valley, on the main route between Cape Town and the Garden Route. A railway line also crosses the mountain range near this point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-distance trail</span> Long trail used for walking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing

A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents except Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Hel Nature Area</span> Nature reserve by Cape Town, South Africa

De Hel Nature Area is a 21.3-hectare (53-acre) nature reserve protecting a river valley and indigenous forest on the lower eastern slopes of Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

Glencairn Wetland is a small 20-hectare (49-acre) reserve on the Cape Peninsula, in the southern areas of Greater Cape Town, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Silvermine River Wetlands</span> Nature reserve on the Cape Peninsula, in Cape Town, South Africa

Lower Silvermine Wetlands is a nature reserve on the Cape Peninsula, in Cape Town, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Bay</span> Place in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Morgan Bay, officially renamed Gxarha in 2022, is a village in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ou Kaapse Weg</span> Mountain pass in the Cape Peninsula between the Southern Suburbs and Fish Hoek Valley

Ou Kaapse Weg, numbered as route M64, is a mountain pass in the Cape Peninsula that connects the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town with the Fish Hoek Valley. It traverses the Steenberg mountains and passes through the Silvermine Nature Reserve. Ou Kaapse Weg is one of three routes to the Fish Hoek Valley: the others are Chapman's Peak Drive along the Atlantic coast and Main Road along the False Bay coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokai Park</span> Small section of Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa

Tokai Park, previously known as "Tokai Forest", is a small wing, about 600 ha, of the greater Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. Tokai Park is made up of two sections: upper and lower Tokai Park. Lower Tokai Park is flat, and characterized by the threatened Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. Upper Tokai Park is on the slopes of Constantiaberg Mountain, and consists of conservation area as well as the Tokai Arboretum. Upper Tokai Park is characterized by Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos and Afromontane Forest and noted for its diversity.

References

  1. 1 2 "Silvermine Nature Reserve". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  2. "Silvermine Nature Reserve". Cape Point Route. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. Silvermine Nature Reserve. Cape Town Travel. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  4. CT, Secret (18 May 2018). "Silvermine Nature Reserve". Secret Cape Town. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  5. "High Steenberg via Silvermine Gate 2". AllTrails.com. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. Yeld, John (18 December 2003). "Silvermine to get formal hiking trail". IOL. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Maritime headquarters at Silvermine is opened | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 22 January 2024.