Towns and suburbs

Hout Bay

Hout Bay is a seaside suburb of Cape Town located in a valley on the Atlantic coast. The area is known for its fishing harbour, long sandy beach, and scenic mountain surroundings.

hout bay

Hout Bay lies about 20 km south of central Cape Town on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula. The suburb sits in a broad valley surrounded by mountains, including Chapman’s Peak and Constantiaberg. The bay opens to the Atlantic Ocean and is sheltered by the dramatic cliffs of the famous coastal route, Chapman’s Peak Drive

History of Hout Bay

When the Dutch established a colony at the Cape in 1652, they needed timber for ship maintenance, building and fuel. There were no trees to speak of in Table Bay, due to drier conditions and, of course, the wind. Fortunately, the Southern slopes of Table Mountain were covered in forests. Hout Bay means Wood Bay from the original Dutch name. Jan van Riebeeck gave Hout Bay its current name, “T’ Houtbaaitjen.” The Dutch later constructed a road over Constantia Nek to access the timber-rich valley, and by 1677, the first land was rented for farming in the area.

The fishing village was established in about 1867 when Jacob Trautman, a German immigrant, began to fish and farm in the area. It also has a sheltered natural harbour, and the area was briefly occupied by the French in 1788. Until the early 50s, this was mainly an agricultural area as the valley was separated from the city bowl by the mountains. The harbour is one of the busiest in the Western Cape. There is a thriving fishing industry, yet the area was only connected to electricity in 1947.

The lively Hout Bay fishing harbour is a working harbour for the tuna and crayfishing industries. Protective mountains surround it, and the long sandy beach, which is ideal for swimming and water sports, kayaking and kite flying are popular.

The beach is flat with white sand about 50 to 100 meters wide, which stretches about a kilometre from Chapman’s Peak Drive (M6) in the east to the fishing boat harbour in the west. There are loads of parking spaces and lifesavers on duty.

The Dutch were not the first to settle here. The San and the Khoi people had lived in the bay for hundreds of years. At this time, they were the most important population of Southern Africa. The Khoi and the San were living a pastoral life here,  hunting and fishing. They were sharing the bay with lots of animals, and some people even say that it was inhabited by lions.
After the Dutch took over, the area was still an agricultural and fishing community. For another three hundred years, people from different parts of Europe came to live in the bay: English, Scottish… They started to construct a small fishing harbour, which was even occupied by the French at the end of the 1780s. But until 1950, despite the fishing potential of the Bay, the lands were used primarily for the forests and the mining industries.
In 1950, the government published the Group Areas Act, which allocated reserved residential areas to each racial category. This meant that in this area, the beach and the bay were reserved for the “Whites”, while Sentinel Mountain was attributed to the “Coloureds”, which is known as the “Hangberg community”.

Courtesy Cape Town Historical Society  Jason Patrick Hanslo 

Hout Bay harbour when the fishing boats returned

The postcodes for Hout Bay are 7806 (streets) and 7872 (boxes)

WEATHER IN HOUT BAY TODAY

Browse businesses and places to visit in Hout Bay

Things to do and see

  • Kronendal Estate
  • Chapman’s Peak Drive
  • Hout Bay Common Park, Outdoor Gym, Bainskloof Road
  • Surf at “The Dungeons”
  • Grootkop and Judaspeak trail
  • Craft market at the docks.
  • Suikerbossie Sacred Cave and Equinox rocks
  • The bronze leopard of Hout Bay was sculpted by Ivan Mitford-Barberton in 1963. He donated it to the community. The sculpture is a memorial to the wild animals that once freely roamed the peninsula.
  • Hout Bay Grailstone.The Grail Stone, on the Constantiaberg, is a triangular rock with a hole in it that captures the setting sun at the summer solstice. The hole is just wide enough to accommodate the movement of the Earth, termed precession, which takes place over 41,000 years.
  • Fish and chips at the dockside
  • The 4 km Oude skip hike begins at the top of Eustegia road, turn left and walk 2 km along the contour path. You will be able to see the wrecked ship from here. Turn around and return by the same route.
  • Dennis Goldberg House of Hope, he was the only white person sentenced to life imprisonment at the infamous Rivonia Trial in 1963 during the struggle against Apartheid. This is a cultural education centre and a showcase of his life and his art collection. 082 579 6697  4 Andrews Rd
  • Hout Bay Parkrun every Saturday at 8.00 am, Ambleside School, 54 Milner Road

Resources

Practical information for the Western Cape, regulations, permits and helpful tips. See the Colourdots coastal and nature use guide

Useful Numbers in Hout Bay

Residents and visitors can find important local contact numbers below, including police, medical services, utilities, and community facilities

  • Emergency Services

  • Police: 021 791 9300
  • Fire: 021 480 7700
  • Ambulance: 10177

  • Medical

  • Closest hospital: Hout Bay Family Medical Centre 021 790 3120
  • Clinic; Harbour Community Health Clinic 021 790 1050

  • Municipal & Utilities

  • Water:0860 103 089
  • Electricity:0860 103 089

  • Transport & Roads

  • Traffic department: Hill Star 021 444 3811
  • Road Emergencies / SANRAL: 0800 204 204
  • Childline-116

  • Community & Safety

  • 24 hour Poisons Information Helpline of the Western Cape:  0861 555 777.
  • NSRI 087 094 9774
  • SPCA: Animal rescue group-021 790 0283

  • Local Contacts and Community Resources

  • Post office; 021 790 1740
  • Library: 021 791 7660
  • The Hangberg Advice office: 079 044 4292
  • Recreation centre and civic Centre: 021 400 3647
  • Ratepayers association: 021 790 0268  info@houtbayratepayers.co.za
  • Hout Bay Recreation Centre: 021 790 5673 Karbonkel Road
  • Hout Bay tourism: 021 21791074

  • Schools inHout Bay

  • : Hout Bay International School 021 791 7900
  • Ambleside School 021 790 4449
  • Kronendal primary 021 790 2060
  • Disa Primary School 021 200 0790
  • Hout Bay High School 021 790 4951
  • Hout Bay Secondary School 021 790 4951
  • Oranjekloof mor primary 021 790 3350

Other suburbs along the Atlantic seaboard include: Bantry Bay; Bakoven; Camps Bay; Clifton;  Fresnaye; Greenpoint; Llandudno; Mouille Point; Sea Point; and Three Anchor Bay

Close also Imizamu Yethu

  • Colourdots is an independent regional information resource for the Western Cape.
    Learn more about the project HERE

 

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