This is the last of the posts in the bridges of Port Elizabeth series. It shows the N2 where it crosses over the Swartkops River at Amsterdamhoek just before Bluewater Bay. Very busy on top, nice and peaceful underneath.
The Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve west of Port Elizabeth is one of the best and easiest accessible areas around to see proteas and other species in the Cape Floral Kingdom. Flowers like the King Protea, South Africa's national flower, and the Pin Cushion Protea is found in abundance and when in flower is a real treat to see along one of the reserve's two trails. I try to visit the reserve at least once or twice a year, even if its…
This is post #5 in the series about bridges around Port Elizabeth. There are several bridges across the Swartkops River with the oldest road bridge in use being the Wylde Bridge at Swartkops which was built in 1879. The road bridge is a one lane bridge that is regulated with a traffic light. This is the railway bridge right next to the road bridge. Looks very similar to the Mackay Bridge in Colchester, doesn't it?
Every couple of years Port Elizabeth tends to be hit by a flash flood which ends up causing more damage than the inhabitants of the city cares for. In 2006 we had a biggy and in the process a couple of bridges on the Baakens River washed away, one of them being at the bottom of Brickmakerskloof. The investigation on how best to replace the bridge along with a full on Environmental Impact Assessment took many many months. Eventually construction started in 2009 with…
This is post #3 in the Port Elizabeth bridge series. The city's most imposing and best know bridge is the Van Stadens Bridge 35 km west of the city and also situated on the western boundary of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro. The 125 meter high, 340 meter long bridge was completed in 1971 and is the first of a serious of large arch bridges between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay. The others are the Storms River Bridge, Bloukrans Bridge, Groot River Bridge and…
This is post #2 in the Port Elizabeth bridges series. Cars approaching Port Elizabeth on the busy N2 from the east fly across the bridge over the Sundays River with only a quick glance towards the river. I often wonder how many don't even see it while I'm sure most don't know of the historic Mackay Bridge only a couple of hundred meters upstream. With the increase of traffic on the N2 the road from Port Elizabeth to Colchester has been turned into…
A game drive through a reserve with predators are all about watching live game but more often than not one would encounter the remains of not so live game. During our sundowner stop on a game drive at Kuzuko Lodge I found this lone skull out in the open very interesting. Probably a kudu skull as there was a kudu horn lying close by, I can only imagine how he came about his end. Must have been quite a sight…
Port Elizabeth isn't famous for it's bridges but it does have a couple of notable ones. Some historic, one imposing and a couple that are often used. I collected pictures of a few of them and decided to put together a series showing you six bridges from around the city. I'm starting with one of my favourite bridges, the historic Mackay Bridge in Colchester. During the mid 1800's this specific spot was quite a popular one with travellers as it had…
The muzzle of the Sacramento Cannon, pointing towards to wreck site where the Portugese ship Sacramento sank in 1647
The Sundays River is quite a popular recreational playground with everything from water ski to just leisurely sitting with a fishing line in the water. Most of the houses on the riverside (and some of those that isn't) have their own jetties with some of them having been there for decades already.