Aloe on the banks of the Swartkops River
Winter is aloe time and when it comes to flowers one of my favorite seasons. I found these Kranz Aloe flowering on the banks of the Swartkops River in Redhouse.
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06/08/2013
Tracks on the sand
The Swartkops Estuary is well known for its waders and other water birds making it an awesome bird watching spot. But its not always about the birds themselves like the scene in the picture of the spoor of a bird that went for a walk along the river bank.
02/08/2013
Swartkops flamingo’s
The Swartkops River estuary is home to a big variety of waders but the one bird that you will always see and recognise are flamingo's. Here are a couple of flamingo's on a sand bank with the Swartkops Power Station in the background.
31/07/2013
Reflections at Amsterdamhoek
In 16 December 1817 the Dutch troop carrier Amsterdam was on its way to the Netherlands on a return journey from the Dutch East Indies when it hit a fierce storm off Algoa Bay. The wind snapped the masts and ripped the sails apart and after an eleven hour fight the captain decided to run the ship aground close to the mouth of the Zwartkops River to try and save the lives of his crew. Only three of the 223 men…
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30/07/2013
Between the lines, the railway lines
On a Geocaching trip around the Bluewater Bay and Redhouse area the other day we went looking for a cache next to the railway bridge across the Swartkops River. On the way back to the car I thought Chaos Boy walking on the railway track would make for a cool picture which it did.
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23/07/2013
River mouth
The Swartkops River is the biggest river in Port Elizabeth (and here I'm not counting the Sundays River because technically its not in PE). Its so sad that the river has major pollution problems upstream from Uitenhage down towards the estauray. The kids got to see the river mouth for the first time the other day during our geocaching trip to Bluewater Bay. Chaos Boy just kept asking how deep it was and if he could walk through it. Drama Princess…
20/07/2013
Swartkops Power Station
The Swartkops Power Station next to the Swartkops River is one of those landmarks that has become part of the city scape over the years yet I don't think a lot of people know much about it. So in case you don't know its story, here goes. The provision of electricity in Port Elizabeth begun in 1906 with the establishment of the Electricity Works. This supplied fifteen private consumers and thirty street lamps with electricity. As industry in the area grew and the volume…
17/07/2013
Budding photographer
Something every photography enthusiast wants to see. Their child taking an interest in the hobby. I wanted to snap a couple of pictures of the Swartkops River and Amsterdamhoek's houses and rested my camera on the little wall next to the river. When I got up I noticed Drama Princess doing the same. Warms a father's heart.
14/07/2013
Finding your soul
I don't think I've ever been to Redhouse village on the Swartkops River so once again geocaching has taken me somewhere I've never been before. Although its referred to as a village, Redhouse really is only a small residential area of Port Elizabeth. The Zwartkops Rowing Club was started in the village in 1873 and is the last remaining rowing club in Port Elizabeth. Taking a walk along the tow path next to the river I found this on one…
12/07/2013
Tippers Creek
I haven't really posted a lot of photos from the Bluewater Bay area and the reason is simply that I live on the other side of town and don't get to Bluewater Bay that often. I took the week off to spend some time with the KidZ during the school holiday and decided to head out there for some Geocaching. Tippers Creek Road links Bluewater Bay at the top with Amsterdamhoek next to the Swartkops River. There's also a set…
10/07/2013