History Of Mossel Bay

• Province: Western Cape
• Garden Route
• Coordinates:34°11′00″S 22°08′00″E
• Area:42.2 km2
• Municipality: Mossel Bay

First People and First Europeans

Humans have lived in the Mossel Bay area for around 164,000 years, making it one of the earliest known sites of human habitation. The town’s name, derived from the Dutch word for mussel shells, reflects its rich coastal heritage.

Mossel Bay holds an important place in South African history as the first recorded landing site of Europeans. In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, appointed by King John II of Portugal to find a sea route to India, became the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope. He originally called it Cabo das Tormentas (the Cape of Storms), a name later changed by the king to Cabo da Boa Esperança (the Cape of Good Hope).

After rounding the Cape, Dias and his crew landed near what is now the Dias Museum, where they collected fresh water from a natural spring. He named the area “Aguada de São Brás” – the Watering Place of St Blaize. By 1512, the spring was described as a clear stream flowing over rocks into a small dam, and it still flows today at the museum site.

Dias also named the bay Angra dos Vaqueiros (the Bay of Cowherds). The current name, Mossel Bay, was later given by Paulus van Caerden in 1601, derived from the Dutch for mussel shells.

Dias’ First Encounter with the Locals

Dias and his crew were met with hostility by the local inhabitants, who pelted them with rocks and stones. However, when Vasco da Gama reached this Bay in 1497, he charted the area and successfully bartered for cattle with the Khoi people. From the earliest days of Dutch settlement, Mossel Bay served as a major port for the Southern Cape region. Although the Dutch governor Jan de la Fontaine erected a possession stone in 1734, the first permanent building, a fortress-like granary, was only constructed in 1787. The first shipment of locally grown wheat left the Bay the following year.

Despite the British taking control of the Cape in 1806 and formally acquiring the Colony in 1814, the Dutch name “Mossel Bay” persisted. In 1848, the Bay was briefly renamed Aliwal, in honour of a victory by Cape Governor Sir Harry Smith over the Sikhs in India. However, the name remained in common use. The town’s first permanent settlers arrived in the late 18th century, and the railway reached Mossel Bay in 1905. During the ostrich feather boom, the area became a key export hub.

Town of “Firsts”

Mossel Bay is notable for several historical firsts in South Africa. It is home to some of the earliest evidence of human habitation, and in 1497, it witnessed the first recorded commercial transaction when Vasco da Gama traded with Khoi herders, exchanging a red sailor’s cap and bracelets for an ox.

Pedro Cabral) stopped at Mossel Bay on his way back to the east in 1500 to leave a letter. In it, he provided an important warning about problems in Calcutta. He left it in what was likely a shoe (alternatively, an iron pot) near a large milkwood tree. The place has been declared a national monument.

The following year, Commander João da Nova discovered the letter on his journey to India. So grateful for the warning, da Nova erected a stone hermitage near the spot. This entire interaction led to the tree’s being the first post office in South Africa, establishing the first post office in Southern Africa. That same year, the first place of Christian worship in Southern Africa, an ‘Ermida,’ was erected by Admiral João da Nova of the Fourth Portuguese Fleet in gratitude for his safe return from India. Mossel Bay’s rich history of firsts highlights its significance in the early interactions between Europeans and the indigenous people of Southern Africa.

First Police Station

In 1861, Mossel Bay established its first police station. It was not a formal prison. Prisoners were confined to a small room in the customs house. During the day, the prisoners contributed to the community. They repaired roads and performed other public services.

   Vintage seaside picture from Saartjie Klipkop

The economy

Fishing and farming remained the primary activities of the area during the early 20th Century. It is still one of the main sources of mussels and oysters. The discovery of natural gas fields offshore in 1969 caused exponential growth,

At the South African and International Exhibition in Kimberley in 1892, Mossel Bay was promoted as a Health Resort.  The marketing described the town as “most tastefully executed in a most artistic manner.”  The magnificent marine scenery, splendid climate, and a naturally protected bathing area were promoted, However, it was noted that more hotel accommodation was needed.

The license plate prefix for Mossel Bay is CBS. Postcodes are street Code: 6506, Box Code: 6500

Weather in Mossel Bay today

all listings in Mossel Bay

Things to see and do in Mossel Bay

• Post Office Tree; In 1501, another Portuguese navigator, Pedro d’Ataide, found shelter here after losing much of his fleet in a storm. He left an account of the story in an old shoe suspended from a milkwood tree near the spring from which Dias had found water. The report was found by the explorer to whom it was addressed — João da Nova — and the tree served as a sort of post office for decades thereafter.
• -Attaquakloof pass (Old ox wagon trail)
• Du Plessis pass
• The area falls within the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve
• Santos Beach has Blue Flag status
• The Shark Lab:  Mini Aquarium – 063 408 1724
• Visit the seal breeding ground at Seal Island
• The Diaz Museum – 044 691 1067 
• Cape St Blaize lighthouse
• Route 12 is a journey through  12 towns in the greater Mossel Bay area
• Hartenbos – 044 691 2202 
• Historic walking route, starting at the Mossel Bay Tourism office. 044 691 2202
• Point of Human Origins, Pinnacle Point- 079 640 0004
• Take a course in sailing.082 826 3825
• Annual Eight Bells MTB adventure 082 416 5069 or 082 441 7198
• Self-guided Art Walk
• The Malay Graves mark the resting place of two revered Muslim holy men, one believed to be Sheikh Abdurahman Sayed Al Mujahedeen, who died here around 1864 while en route to Batavia.
  Land was granted for use as a cemetery in 1864,
• A guided historical Ghost walk    065 637 4582

Useful Numbers

• Police: Mossel Bay – 044 606 2201
• Traffic department: Mossel Bay 044 606 5000 / 5201
• Home Affairs: 044 693 0054 / 0357
• Fire: Mossel Bay 044 606 5031
• Water:044 606 5262
• Electricity:044 606 5082
• Ambulance: 10177
• Post office; Mossel Bay -044 691 1554
• Library: Mossel Bay – 044 606 5171
• Closest hospital; MosselBay 044 691 2011
• Pharmacy; Mossel Bay- 044 691 1835
• SPCA: Garden Route  – 072 287 1761
• Seabirds 082 364 3382
• The Seabird & Penguin Rehabilitation Centre (SAPREC)   072 227 4715
• Stranded animals: 072 227 4715
• Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team: 0722274715
• Life-saving: 083 4621182
• Sea rescue: 082 990 5954
• Museums: The Diaz museum – 044 691 1067, Hartenbos – 044 691 2202, Point of Human Origins, Pinnacle Point- 079 640 0004
• Tourism:  044 691 2202