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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
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Bayworld exhibit of the wreck of the Amsterdam

One of the best know shipwrecks around Port Elizabeth is that of the Dutch Sailing Amsterdam that ran around close to the mouth of the Swartkops River in 1817.  People may not necessarily know much of the wreck, but the fact that Amsterdam Hoek along the banks of the Swartkops is named after the ship helps.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…

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08/01/2014
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Baby sea turtles at Bayworld

Visitors to the Oceanarium at Bayworld will find a tank with baby sea turtles in it.  Most of these were hatchlings that got washed up after storms forced them out the warm Mosambique current and into Algoa Bay.  They're often in cold shock due to the sudden change in water tempreture that also compromise their condition.

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03/01/2014
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T-Rex in Port Elizabeth

If you had a time machine and could choose any time to go back to, what time would you choose?  I think most children would choose to go back to the time of the dinosaurs.  Bayworld gives visitors a opportunity to get to know some moving life sized dinosaurs fairly up close and personal.  Amongst them a life size T-Rex.

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02/01/2014
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Snake Park demonstrations

The Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld is the third oldest museum in South Africa, while the Snake Park is the oldest of its kind in the world.  When the museum moved to premises in Bird Street in 1919 the complex opened the Snake Park with demonstrations by snake handler, Johannes, being a huge highlight.  He was reputed to have been bitten on average once a year for the 30 years he was on the staff and eventually died.  The Port Elizabeth Museum…

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18/12/2013
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Science Centre bridge

The Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre in Uitenhage is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered by young and old.  Since its opening many schools and individuals have enjoyed the different activities and scientific experiments visitors can participate in but this has really only been a drop in the ocean compared to the potential the centre has.

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14/12/2013
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Science Centre dinosaur

The Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre in Uitenhage is Nelson Mandela Bay's newest "museum" and is slowly becoming a favorite with both local and visiting school groups.  Taking a walk around the centre I found this boy looking at the T-Rex model with interest.  While his friends were gathered around the racing simulator nearby he was looking at the mechanical workings of the model.  Amazing how different people have different interests. 

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08/10/2013
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Courtyard pump

The well in the courtyard at No 7 Castle Hill must truly be one of the highlights to kids visiting the museum.  Not because of the hole in the ground, but for the pump that gets the water out the hole. The date on the pump is 1849 which means its been in place for over 150 years already.  Rain water collects in the well from the roof and kids are encouraged to try it out.  According to Grizel Hart, the…

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22/04/2013