Running and cycling events in Mossel Bay this December

Some of the action at the Grabadoo

No fewer than four great running and cycling events will ensure plenty of sweaty entertainment for budding athletes visiting the Garden Route this summer.

The Grootbrak Grabadoo, which has become something of an Old Year’s tradition in Mossel Bay, and which will celebrate its ninth anniversary this year, will take place on 31 December, while the Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay will be raced on 17 December, the Wreck Challenge on 23 December, and the Pepper Tree Trail Run on 30 December.

“Mossel Bay has always had a tradition of great summer entertainment, and these events add an exciting edge to the programme,” said Marcia Holm of Mossel Bay Tourism.

“Cycling and running are growing sports – and, indeed, mountain biking has really taken off in Mossel Bay in the last year, and it’s interesting to see the relatively new discipline of trail running coming onto our calendar.” Cycling has taken off so much in Mossel Bay that Mossel Bay Tourism recently published a very handy “Cycling in Mosel Bay” map.

“With its mixture of beaches, fynbos, farmlands, conservation areas and mountains, Mossel Bay is the ideal venue for endurance sports – and these events will provide wonderful opportunities for the whole family to explore what we have to offer,” she said.

The Grootbrak Grabadoo (Saturday, 31 December 7:00 a.m. at the Pepper Tree Restaurant in Great Brak River) includes road cycling (20 and 40 km routes), mountain biking, (15, 35, and 70 km) and 4.8 and 9.6 km walking and road running routes. Entries take place on the day of the event at 06:00, and pre-entries will be accepted at the Pepper Tree Restaurant on 30 December from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All entrants will receive goodie bags featuring Mitchum products and a local magazine, and all finishers will receive medals.

The Wreck Challenge (Friday 23 December at 07:00 a.m. at Glentana Main Beach) will include a beach run to the wreck of the floating dry dock (1902), with a 2 km Beach Dash for children of nine years and younger (who may be accompanied by their parents), and also for children of 9 to 11 years. There’ll be a 4 km run for children of 12 to 14, and in the open and fun categories (which can be raced singularly or in teams of two), 2 km and 8.4 km runs, and a 32 km cycle route.

The 8.4 km trail run will traverse the beach and a number of hills and single tracks, with technical challenges over rocks and jeep track.

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.trisport.co.za, and late entries will be accepted at Glentana Main Beach from 5:00 to 6:30 a.m. on the day of the race.

The Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay (Saturday 17 December at 2:00 p.m. at the Kleynfontein Bush Lapa, near Great Brak River) will see solo riders and teams of two and four racing to see how many laps of a course they can complete in six hours. The course will be set out in the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains, and the day will end with entertainment, a bonfire and an open bar in the lapa.

The Pepper Tree Trail Run (Friday, 30 December at 7:00 a.m. at the Pepper Tree Restaurant in Great Brak River) will be raced over 5 and 10 km.

Entries for both the Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay and the Pepper Tree Trail Run can be made on line at www.southerncrossadventure.co.za. Accommodation for all runners, cyclists, family and friends can be arranged by Terblanche Property.

More information:

• Garden Route holiday accommodation: Annemarie Stander, 083 557 8908; www.ttps.co.za
• Grootbrak Grabadoo: Mimi Finestone, 084 583 3144;  www.facebook.com/interfacebyGOJI
• Pepper Tree Trail Run & Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay: Landie Visser, 082 820 9488; www.southerncrossadventure.co.za
• The Wreck Challenge: Sonja Terblanche-Otto, 082 579 7595; www.trisport.co.za

Original article

See the whales in Mossel Bay

According to a recent media release by Mossel Bay Tourism, the 2011 whale season in Mossel Bay is well under way.

Mossel Bay is not as well known as a whale sighting destination as, say, Hermanus, but thanks to the Mossel Bay Cetacean Project, this is changing. This project, which is now in its second year, has shown that Mossel Bay and it’s neighbour to the west, Vlees Bay, are indeed important whaling destinations.

Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm says: “Thus far this season a number of socialising groups of southern right whales have been observed and mother-calf groups have also been seen from the observation sites in both Mossel Bay and in Vlees Bay.”

“The whales have been observed at various locations, and they appear to utilise large portions of the Bay for their activities.”

A visit by a cow-calf pair to De Bakke recently caused particular excitement in the town. Says Holm, “They were literally 50 metres off shore, and you could clearly see their callosities – the growths on their heads which allow the scientists to identify individual animals.”

If you want to see the whales, arrange your Mossel Bay accommodation with one of our friendly booking agents today. We will get you a front-row seat.

Mossel Bay Harbour: Our ship is coming in

Mossel Bay Harbour: Exciting developments

Valuable land for development in the Mossel Bay harbour area will soon become available for development. The Harbour Master, Mr Willem Roux, highlighted these opportunities recently and suggested that whatever development is agreed upon, it should keep in mind what Stephen R Covey say: “Begin with the end in mind”…

Suggestions for the development of the valuable land for the enhancing of the tourism industry in Mossel Bay will soon be called for. Interesting parties will have the opportunity to come up with novel ideas for developments within the harbour area. This exciting news was made available by Roux recently to members of the Mossel Bay Business Chamber. The audience listened with great expectations as Roux shared the news that after a long period of negotiations and talks, the land is about to be released for development. The area in focus runs from the harbour to Santos Beach, including the old Mossel Bay station.

He gave the assurance that no development will be made without taking the rest of the area around the harbour into consideration. The harbour developments will form an integral part of the rest of the development in town. “We need to work hand in glove with the role players that are involved in the proposed renewal of the CBD as well as the Point area.” These areas can form a unique tourism mecca that will help the town to attract more visitors nationally as well as from abroad.

The redevelopment of the CBD will be done in conjunction with the Mossel Bay Municipality and the Central Redevelopment Forum. Soon the public will be asked to give their inputs at a public meeting to be help in this regard.
Mr Roux emphasised the fact that Mossel Bay needs a unique look and feel. “We do not want a replica of the V&A Waterfront or the Knysna Waterfront,” he added.

Tourism
Tourism is one of the main sources of revenue for the town which with its location along the ocean lends itself to activities that join the sea and the land.

Roux mentioned that sailing is the ideal industry to look at to develop. “We need to become the first choice when national and even international sailing events (which are designated to be held in South Africa) are planned and diarised. During August the prestigious Lipton Cup will be held here. And this is the ideal opportunity to make our mark in the sailing world” he said.

Other water sport such as jetski, deepsea fishing, scuba diving, parasailing and pleasure trips are all great opportunities that can be built into a thriving industry. “However, when I look at the area next to the local Yacht Club, I’m embarrassed. It looks like a squatter camp” he said.

Roux mentioned that the port of Mossel Bay might be the smallest of all the commercial ports in South Africa, but that it was also the cleanest. This he attributed to the “clean” industries of fishing and petroleum as apposed to coal and grain handled by the others.

The local harbour also feeds the rest of the Garden Route when it comes to passenger liners docking in the bay. This is a grossly untapped market. During 2006 a total of 13 passenger liners called on Mossel Bay. Roux suggests that the tourism role players look at this with new interest. “If we have to put up a designated building for them to enter on shore, then we have to built it” he said and added that the role players also needed to get their house of offerings in order. Some of the activities that are being look at also include aqua culture activities, a variety of speciality and craft shops.

Railway line
The whole area needs to be made pedestrian friendly and create a culture of tourism spaces in the CDB. Roux mentioned that he can envisage a walkway all along the coast to join the Point with Hartenbos. He also suggested that the rail be used for a commuting service between Hartenbos and Mossel Bay – especially during the season to elevate the traffic congestion.

In the harbour itself there is a wealth of heritage buildings and Roux advocated the restoration and preservation of these in conjunction with the rest of the town. Interesting trails and walk abouts can also be established.

The first step however is to make the land available and to ask for suggestions for developments. Roux said the process to transfer the land to one entity that can work with it, has just about been completed. According to him the public will most probably be able to see movement in the project by the end of the year. “There is a sense of urgency about this development and it is a sin not to develop this valuable land” he said.

Residents are also encouraged to put on their thinking caps concerning the CBD so when the Forum calls the public meeting, they will be able to voice their opinions and suggestions in order to help to create a tourism mecca.

Potential developers who are interested in the opportunities are invited to contact Deon Terblanche at +2744 691 3560 or send an email to deon@ttps.co.za.

Original article published in the Mossel Bay Advertiser

New brochure for cyclists visiting Mossel Bay

Cycling is becoming very popular in Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay Tourism has published a new brochure with a comprehensive map of local cycling routes to promote cycling in the area.

“Cycling is one of the fastest growing sports in South Africa today, and even the casual observer will have noticed that a huge number of visitors’ cars come to the Garden Route equipped with an incredible number of bikes,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.

“This brochure aims to put local knowledge in the hands of our visitors, so that everyone can enjoy cycling while they’re here.”

The brochure includes a map of the area’s cycling routes, information about Mossel Bay’s major mountain biking venues – Eight Bells Mountain Inn, Bonniedale Adventure Farm, and the Jakkalsvlei Wine Estate – and an outline of the annual cycling diary.

“All this information is available here - where we are also able to provide more detailed information like descriptions of individual events and contact numbers for the cycling clubs,” said Ms. Holm.

She said that an excellent network of roads and pathways has attracted a number of cycling events – and that the local race diary is growing almost as fast as the sport.

Some of the other races on the annual calendar include:

• The Attakwas Xtreme Mountain Bike Challenge, which is held annually in January, and includes a 121 km MTB marathon as well as a 52 km mountain bike ride;
• The Eight Bells Enduro, which takes place in August, and includes 15, 40 and 65 km mountain biking courses in the Ruiterbos area;
• The DCM Cape Pioneer Trek (October) which is a six-day mountain bike stage race on a route that traverses two mountain ranges, crosses the Klein Karoo and passes through the forests of the Garden Route coast to end in Mossel Bay;
• The Jakkalsdraai Mountain Bike Challenge, which will take place for the first time this year in October, and will include 10, 30 and 50 km courses that will take in the vineyards at Jakkalsvlei – Mossel Bay’s only wine estate; and
• The Great Brak Grabadoo, which is held by tradition on Old-year’s-day (31 December) and includes 55, 35 and 15 km mountain bike routes, 40 and 20 km road routes, and 5 and 10 km walking routes.

Read the rest of the article here. Check out our website for more information about Mossel Bay and the Garden Route.

Buffalo Rally gathers momentum

The 2011 Buffalo Rally will take place in Mossel Bay from the 18th to the 20th of March.

This will be the sixth time the Rally, which is organised by Cape Town’s Nomads Motorcycle Club, will meet in the Garden Route town.

“The Buffs is a win-win for everyone involved,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm. “It brings a huge injection of interest and visitors to the town, it’s super fun for the participants, and it raises an enormous amount of money for a good cause.”

The Buffalo Rally is managed and staffed entirely by volunteers – both from the Nomads and from the local Round Table, for whom it is the biggest fund-rising event of the year. By tradition, a large proportion of the money raised by the Round Table is donated to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

Newly elected president of the Mossel Bay Round Table, Thinus van Rensburg, said that about 160 local volunteers – including a number of NSRI volunteers – would man the bar at the Buffalo Rally this year.

“Last year we raised R40,000 for the NSRI, and a further R 80,000 was spent on other community projects – all from funds raised by the Buff,” he said.

“About a 110 members of the Nomads Motorcycle Club will be coming to the Buffs this year – and although they’re involved in organising the event, they’ll be paying the same entry fee as everyone else,” said the Nomads’ Luderick Jacoby.

He said that the club has made special arrangements to prevent inconvenience to local residents.

The Rally will be centered in the De Bakke and Santos Caravan Parks – the famous municipal parks on Mossel Bay’s beachfront – but will include a concours d’elegance (which will take place in the conference room of the Mossel Bay Protea Hotel), and a mass ride through the streets of the town.

“We want to keep rally-goers in the camp site and out of the local bars as much as possible – especially late at night – so we’ve organised more entertainment than last year, with bands like Just Done, Boulevard Blues, Heywire, and Late Final, who will all perform in the campsite,” said Mr. Jacoby.

The programme will feature a number of competitions – including a lucky draw for R100,000, which will be open to everyone in possession of an entry ticket. Prizes will also be awarded to riders who’ve travelled the longest distance to the rally on a motorcycle, the longest distance on dirt, and the longest distance on the smallest bike – and to the oldest male and female bikers.

Mr. Jacoby said that special arrangements had been made for law enforcement. “The South African Police Service and the local Traffic Departments will be imposing strict enforcement of the Road Traffic Act over the Buff weekend.

“We want the Buff to be a fun and enjoyable event for us as well as the residents of Mossel Bay and, most importantly, we would like to return the following year.

“We can only achieve this with the cooperation of everyone there,” he said.

Ms. Holm said that riders who come to the Buffalo Rally often returned for family holidays later in the year.

“Events like this are important showcases for us – and, in fact, a number of the bikers who’ve been to the Buff in the past have bought property in Mossel Bay.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone in March,” she said.

More information:

• Buffalo Rally website
• Accommodation and attractions in Mossel Bay

Original article

The upcoming Diaz Festival

Dias Museum Complex manager, Mbulelo Mrubata, has commented on the progress of the 2011 Dias Festival at a meeting recently held at the museum.

The Dias Museum will be the focal point of the Festival, which will run from the 3rd to the 6th of February next year, and will feature the South African Navy as its guests of honour.

Four Naval vessels are expected to enter the Port of Mossel Bay on February the 3rd – the 522nd anniversary of the day on which Bartolomeu Dias and his crew became the first Europeans to land on South African soil – and the Festival’s coordinating committee wants to see the town alive and buzzing in celebration.

“We’re not expecting all the events to take place at the Museum – in fact, we’re encouraging members of the community to arrange their own events at venues around town,” said Mr. Mrubata.

He said that a number of groups and individuals have tabled plans for the programme.

• Jazz concerts – which will be held in the Museum grounds on 3 February at 6:00 p.m., and at the KwaNonqaba Sports Complex on 4 and 5 February at 6:00 p.m. (organised by 807 Entertainment, telephone 084 740 6969);
• A Festival Queen and dress design contest in the form of a black tie ball or cheese and wine party organised by Claire du Plessis (079 497 6156) – who is also planning an art exhibition at the Benevolent Park Old Age Home, creative writing workshops, and a Langsous-contest, with games like dominoes, and darts;
• An exhibition of quilts and textiles – to be arranged by Vivienne Holtzhausen;
• The Emerging Entrepreneurs of Mossel Bay – under interim secretary LB Marx – are planning a wheelchair fun run for the disabled community (at The Point Area, at 9:00 a.m. on 3 February); schools technology events; a Kloof Street Market (5 February from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.); and a Khoi Connection musical performance in the Maritime Museum on 4 February from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

“The Festival is aimed at everyone in the community, and can also be seen as an opportunity or the various sectors of the business community to engage with one another,” said Mr. Mrubata.

Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm said that the Dias Museum Complex is one of the most important attractions in Mossel Bay, and that the tradition of posting cards from the Post Office Tree was an important one for international tour operators.

“The Dias Festival is important for the Museum’s marketing, and deserves the support of everyone in town,” she said.

If you’d like to have your event included in the Festival Programme, please send details (including your contact details) to Mbulelo Mrubata, mmrubata [at] pgwc.gov.za, or call 044 691 1067

New “Things to do” Brochure for Mossel Bay

Media Release. 1 November 2010. Mossel Bay Tourism

Mossel Bay Tourism has published a new version of its popular ‘Things To Do’ Brochure.

Mossel Bay’s new Things To Do Brochure – 28 pages of attractions and activities

“By coincidence, the town features as one of the cover stories in the October edition of Getaway Magazine. The article’s called ‘Mossel Bay – Hey! It’s the Garden Route’s new adventure hub’ – and we couldn’t have described it better ourselves,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.

“Mossel Bay has come a long way from the old days when it was just a sleepy kusdorpie – which is why we decided earlier this year to adopt a new slogan (‘Mossel Bay. Do stuff’), and why we’ve also re-thought, and completely redesigned, our attractions and adventures brochure.”

Ms. Holm said that Mossel Bay is ideally situated as an adventure playground.

“It’s exactly half way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, it enjoys the best weather – and the best beaches – on the Garden Route, and it’s close to both the Outeniqua Mountains and the unique fynbos of the Albertinia-Gourits River area.

“It’s also culturally a very rich area, being both the focus of the Mossel Bay Archaeology Project (the largest scientific project of it’s kind in the world), and the site of the first contact between European explorers and indigenous South Africans.”

She said that the arrival of Bartolomeu Dias and his crew on the 3rd of February, 1488, is commemorated in the Dias Museum complex’s Maritime Museum. “The replica of Dias’ caravel – and the Post Office Tree in which the Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries used to leave messages for one another – remain two of our biggest attractions, especially amongst European and South American visitors.

“Taken together, Mossel Bay now offers an enormous number of attractions and things to do: everything from shark cage diving and sand boarding to spas and beauty salons. And we’ve now even got a beautiful wine estate, which took championship awards at the 2009 and the 2010 South African Young Wine Shows.”

Ms. Holm said that the new Things To Do brochure has been designed to provide the public – and tour operators – snapshots of information about all of the town’s adventures and attractions.

“Every one of them has been colour coded to a fold-out map – so users can easily plan their routes.”

She said that whilst mobile phones have made the internet easily available, “when it comes to making spur-of-the-moment decisions, travellers still rely heavily on printed brochures.

“Proof of this comes from our brochure distribution contractor, whose clients in the accommodation and attractions sectors have figures to show that between 10 and 15% of new business is generated via information that people have found in brochures.”

Mossel Bay Tourism’s new ‘Things To Do’ brochure is available from the information office on the corner Church and Market Streets. For an electronic version, please mail info@visitmosselbay.co.za.

Download pdf MBay Things To Do pdf

 

Mossel Bay – A little bit of everything

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We love Mossel Bay. Where else in the world is it possible to enjoy 320 days (on average) of sunshine every year and 24km’s of white, unspoilt beaches, including two north-facing beaches? If you’re wondering what Mossel Bay offers the tourist or holidaymaker, the Tourism website refers to the “…long sandy beaches washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, boat rides; the bay full of dolphins, whale watching from June to November; big game viewing and extreme adventures (shark-cage diving, scuba diving, sky diving); fascinating museums and excellent shopping; entertainment for the whole family; restaurants for every palate; and top notch accommodation for every budget, scenic harbour; and top class golf courses.”

However, if it seems that we get overly excited about our hometown, we found the following press release on This Tourism Week today for some perspective:

One of the doyens of tourism in South Africa, Thompsons Holidays’ John Ridler, visited Mossel Bay last week for a seminar with members of Mossel Bay Tourism – and he says he loves the town.

“I was first of all impressed by the lovely old buildings – with not a lot of signage on them,” he said.

“That’s not something that you can command people to do: it really gives you a sense of preservation and a sense of charm that makes one almost want to say the unforgivable ‘I hope it doesn’t grow any more.’

“My worst fear would be the sort of coastal town with only huge malls and multi-story parking garages.

“As we were driving into town we noticed the enormous number of townhouses and blocks of flats at Diaz Beach, and naturally they should be there – but I’m sure that all of the people who live in them come to town enjoy the old part of it.
“I’m amazed and surprised at how lovely it is and how well preserved it is.”

One of the things that struck him most forcefully, he said, was the fact that people in Mossel Bay made best use of the facilities here: he’d stayed at The Point Hotel (“you’ve got one up on everyone else there – everyone else builds their hotel on the beach, but this one’s right on the rocks”) and noticed that the locals used the promenade between the hotel and the Point Village. “There were people sitting watching the ocean at eight, nine o’clock last night,” he said, “and they were there again at 6:30 this morning!”

He said that his impression of the members of Mossel Bay Tourism whom he met was “an eye-opener of note.

“I’ve dealt with a number of tourism bodies and their members and I found an enormously cooperative group of people [at the seminar] today – which indicates to me that they’re happy with what’s being done [by the company].

“I also think I’ve never seen a turn-out as good as we had today, and as a body of people working together, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite as cohesive as this.”

As a guest of Mossel Bay Tourism, Mr. Ridler was taken to a meal at the newly refurbished Gannet Seafood House at the Mossel Bay Protea Hotel – where he also inspected the 120-seat Ochre Barn Conference Centre.

“I think this is a world-beating venue. You could be anywhere – overlooking the harbour in Sydney, for instance – but the point is you’re here in Mossel Bay.
“And that’s a wonderful place to be.”

* Courtesy www.clubface.co.za