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Meet the Amsterdam

The Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld has an excellent exhibit of artifacts and pieces from the Dutch ship Amsterdam that ran aground close to the mouth of the Swartkops River in 1817.  The ship, captained by Hermanus Hofmeijer, hit a fierce storm in 1817 with the wind ripping apart the sails and snapping the masts.  After eleven hours of fighting to keep her afloat the battle was lost and the captain decided to run her aground between the Zwartkops and Coega…

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03/06/2014
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Whale skeleton

The KidZ admiring the skeleton of the last Southern Right Whale to be harpooned in Algoa Bay hanging in the Port Elizabeth Museum in Bayworld.

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31/05/2014
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Dino at torchlight

Here's another picture from A Night at the Museum at Bayworld the other evening.  The Dino Park T-Rex seen in the torchlight of the KidZ.  A little bit scarier than seeing him during the day.

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30/05/2014
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Which keg is the heaviest?

Bayworld is so full of childhood memories, one of them being the kegs in the shipwreck hall.  Three kegs each 20kg in weight but with the pulleys being the difference.  This means that they feel like they are different weights and the KidZ loved trying them out just like we did when we were kids.

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28/05/2014
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Bayworld cut-out

A week or so ago the Friends of Bayworld hosted a hugely successful Night at the Museum at the Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld.  The place was packed to the bleachers and I don't think they ever expected in their wildest dreams that they will have such an overwhelming turnout.  I get to visit Bayworld fairly often for tourism purposes and it was great to take a walk around with the family for a change and share with them all…

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27/05/2014
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Old time kitchen

My favorite part of the No 7 Castle Hill historical museum is the old kitchen.  It always reminds me of my grandmother who had a number of the implements in her kitchen.  It doesn't matter how many times I go there there is always something new to discover and showing kids around there is a wonderful experience as they just can't believe what some of the things got used for.

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24/05/2014
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The well at No7 Castle Hill

One of the highlights of visits to No7 Castle Hill is the working well in the courtyard.  As there is no fountain, water collects in the well from the roof and was used for normal household usage back in the days.  I chose to post a picture without anybody in just to show what the whole courtyard looks like.

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21/05/2014
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St Georges Prep at No 7 Castle Hill

No 7 Castle Hill is a favorite spot for both young and old (and in between as well).  I have been there so many times and always see something that I haven't seen before.  It also helps that the museum has a passionate curator in Mrs Grizel Hart who really cares deeply for the museum and it's history.  There is often not a day that passes without a school group coming through the museum but every now and then there is…

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11/03/2014
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Sacramento cannon at Bayworld

The Shipwreck Hall in the Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld has some excellent information on shipwrecks around Port Elizabeth.  The displays contain a lot of artifacts salvaged from wrecks like the Sacramento, Amsterdam and Doddington.  One of the items that form the centerpiece display is a cannon salvaged from the wreck site of the Portuguese galleon Sacramento near Schoenmakerskop in the 1970's.  The Sacramento ran aground in a storm on this coastline in 1647 with 72 survivors making it to land…

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04/02/2014