Cape Town - Southern Suburbs Travel Guides | Cape Town | Sub Regions | Cape Town - Southern Suburbs

Hugging the lower slopes of Table Mountain and stretching southeast away from the city centre, towards Constantia and False Bay, are Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs. These encompass the bulk of Cape Town’s suburban sprawl, once the enclave of largely affluent whites but today an interesting mix of areas with a number of attractions. The suburbs start with Woodstock just outside the City Bowl on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, a mostly working-class coloured area which is fast becoming yuppified. They continue all the way around the mountain, finishing just before False Bay in the beautiful wine- growing area of Constantia with its manicured gardens, forests and fortified mansions. Rolling away from the mountain’s slopes are the Cape Flats, a vast sprawl of coloured and black townships and mushrooming shanty towns, home to the majority of Cape Town’s residents yet rarely visited by tourists. The main draw in the Southern Suburbs are the magnificent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Constantia’s historical vineyards and elegant hotels, but there are a number of more unconventional attractions – like bar-hopping in Observatory, watching a rugby match at Newlands or shopping in some of Cape Town’s glitziest malls.

Although a car is the best way to visit, it is possible to reach all by train – the Metro service between the city centre and Simon’s Town runs through all the suburbs. Keep in mind that it’s best to avoid the trains when it’s not busy.

Sights

The first suburb, Woodstock, is a mixed commercial and residential area, historically a working-class coloured district. In the 19th century it was a thriving community, when it was known as Papendorp. It became a municipality in 1881 and the local residents were invited to choose a new name. The most popular drinking haunt at the time was the Woodstock Hotel, and so the suburb got its present name. Today it seems run down and a little depressing, although the back streets are an attractive mesh of beautiful Victorian bungalows, many of which are being snapped up by a new influx of young professionals.

Observatory is an attractive area of tightly packed houses, narrow streets and student hangouts. In recent years, it has managed to create its own special ambience, and once settled here you can quickly forget about the town centre or Waterfront. Being close to the university, there is a wide range of trendy bars, cafés and restaurants catering for a mixed scene of students, bohemian types and budget backpackers. This is a good area to stay in and has an enjoyably liberal atmosphere not so easily found in some of the other suburbs. The observatory after which the suburb is named is where Station Road intersects Liesbeeck Parkway. Aside from making astronomical observations the observatory was responsible for accurate standard time in South Africa. It has also been an important meteorological centre and has a seismograph which records earthquakes around the world. Observatory is also where you’ll find the Groot Schuur Hospital on Main Road, the site of the world’s first heart transplant.

The next suburbs of Mowbray, Rosebank and Rondebosch lie just below the University of Cape Town. Again, they are popular with students and have a good selection of restaurants and shops. Early written accounts describe the area as wild country, with the farmers frequently losing livestock to hyenas, lion and leopards – an image that is hard to imagine as you sit in the evening rush hour traffic jam on Rhodes Drive. In Rondebosch is Groot Schuur, the Prime Minister’s official residence and Westbrooke, home of the State President.

A lesser-known but fascinating tourist attraction in the area is the Irma Stern Museum (Tue-Sat 1000-1700. R8). Irma Stern was one of South Africa’s pioneering artists and her lovely house, on Cecil Road, displays a mixture of her own works, a collection of artefacts from across Africa, and some fine pieces of antique furniture from overseas – 17th-century Spanish chairs, 19th- century German oak furniture and Swiss mardi gras masks. Her portraits are particularly poignant and those of her close friends are superb, while her religious art is rather more disturbing. Stern’s studio, complete with paint brushes and palettes, has been left as it was when she died. The most important African items were collected in the Congo and Zanzibar. Of particular note is the Buli Stool, one of only 20 known carvings by a master carver from southeast Zaire.

The best-known attraction in the area is the Rhodes Memorial, off Rhodes Drive, by the Rondebosch turning. The imposing granite memorial to Cecil John Rhodes (Cape Prime Minister from 1890-96) was designed by Francis Masey and Sir Herbert Baker. Four bronze lions flank a wide flight of steps which lead up to a Greek temple. The temple houses an immense bronze head of Rhodes, wrought by JM Swan. Above the head are the words “slave to the spirit and life work of Cecil John Rhodes who loved and served South Africa”. At the base of the steps is an immense bronze mounted figure of Physical Energy given to South Africa by GF Watts, a well regarded sculptor of the time; the original stands in Hyde Park, London. Other than the memorial, the great attraction here is the magnificent view of the Cape Flats and the Southern Suburbs. Behind the memorial are a number of popular trails leading up the slopes of Devil’s Peak. Tucked away here is an excellent little tea house set in a garden of blue hydrangeas which serves good cheesecake, sandwiches and cream teas – a popular spot, especially for lunch at weekends.

By this point the Southern Suburbs have reached right around Devil’s Peak and the shadowy peaks now dominating the views represent an unfamiliar view of Table Mountain. Newlands backs right up to the slopes of the mountain and is probably best known for being the home to Western Province Rugby Union and the beautiful Newlands cricket test ground. Sports fans shouldn’t miss the chance of seeing a game here. There are several good hotels and guesthouses in the area. Also in Newlands is the Rugby Museum, on Boundary Road, housed in the Sports Medical Research Institute Building. The collection commemorates the history of the sport in the country and is also home to the Currie Cup, the premier domestic competition trophy.

Claremont offers little of interest. On the main road is the upmarket Cavendish Square Complex, another of South Africa’s shopping malls. Nearby however, are Ardene Gardens, a Victorian park which has escaped the developer. These were first planted in 1845 by Ralph Arderne, who was so charmed by the Cape while en route for Australia that he decided to settle here instead. He succeeded in creating a garden that would represent the flora of the world. Today the arboretum with specimens from all over the world is probably the best collection of trees in South Africa. The gardens were declared a historical monument in 1962.

A little further along the main road takes you to Wynberg. Apart from a few curio shops, the main attraction here is the district known as Little Chelsea. This is a group of well-preserved 19th-century homes which have infinitely more character than most new buildings in Cape Town.

T 021-7998783, weekends T 021-7998620, http://www.nbi.ac.za Sep-Mar 0800-1900, Apr-Aug 0800-1800. R15. By far the easiest way of getting here is by car. Otherwise there are trains to the nearest station at Mowbray. From here, there is an erratic bus service or a long walk. Alternatively, take a Rikki – they will pick up and drop off at any time other than rush hour.

Kirstenbosch are South Africa’s oldest, largest and most exquisite botanical gardens. They are among the finest in the world, their setting alone is incomparable. The gardens stretch up the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, merging seamlessly with the fynbos (area of low shrubs) of the steep slopes above. Cecil Rhodes bought Kirstenbosch farm in 1895 and promptly presented the site to the people of South Africa with the intention that it become a botanical garden. It was not until 1913 that Kirstenbosch was proclaimed a National Botanical Garden – the Anglo-Boer War had caused the delay.

As with all botanical gardens they are divided into smaller specialist gardens. The Fragrance garden, the Dell, the Medicinal Plants garden and Van Riebeeck’s Hedge are highlights.

The Fragrance garden features herbs and flowers set out to make appreciating their scents effortless. On a warm day, when the volatile oils are released by the plants, there are some rather overpowering aromas. The Dell follows a beautifully shaded path snaking beneath ferns and along a stream. Indigenous South African herbs can be inspected in the Medicinal Plants garden, each one identified and used by the Khoi and San peoples in the treatment of a variety of ailments. The plants’ uses are identified on plaques, and it seems that most ailments are covered – kidney trouble, rheumatics, coughs, cancer, piles and bronchitis. For a sense of the past, it is worth visiting what is known as Van Riebeeck’s Hedge. Back in 1660 a hedge of wild almond trees was planted by Van Riebeeck as part of a physical boundary to try and prevent cattle rustling. Segments still remain today within the garden. The Skeleton Path can be followed all the way to the summit of Table Mountain. It starts off as a stepped path, but becomes fairly steep near the top. It involves a climb up a rocky waterfall – take special care in the wet season. The café serves over-priced sandwiches and cakes – better value and with far nicer views is the restaurant inside the gardens, just around the corner from the entrance (open until 2200). Another alternative is the picnic hamper service.

South of the Botanical Gardens lies Cape Town’s most elegant suburb, the verdant area of Constantia and its winelands. This historical district was the first site of wine-making in South Africa, and today it is an attractive introduction to the country’s wines, as well as offering some fine examples of Cape Dutch architecture.

There are five estates here, of which Groot Constantia, T 021-7945128, is the best known and definitely worth a visit. Buitenverwatchting, T 021-7945191, is a working estate with an excellent restaurant. Klein Constantia, T 021-7945188, is famed for its dessert wine, Vin de Constance, allegedly Napoleon’s favourite wine. Constantia Uitsig, T 021-7941810, has fine wines and two superb restaurants, Constantia Uitsig and La Colombe. Steenberg, T 021-7132211, also offers superb wines as well as having luxurious lodgings, a good restaurant and a golf course.

The old wine estate, Groot Constantia, which gave its name to one of the smartest inland residential districts around Cape Town, encapsulates everything that is the old Dutch Cape. The house, outbuildings, museum and vineyards mirror a life and time that were the formative years of Cape Town and South Africa. The Cape Governor Simon van der Stel lived here between 1699 and 1712. He named the estate after Constantia, the daughter of the company official who had granted the land to him. Keen to build a home worthy of the Governor, he checked on every corner and curve with his builders. Before his death, van der Stel planted most of the vines, but it was not until 1778 that the estate became famous for its wines. During this period the estate was unable to meet the demands from Europe, especially France. The magnificent wine cellar behind the main house was designed by the renowned French architect, Louis Thibault. There are two popular restaurants on the estate. A fee is payable at the gate plus a charge to visit the manor house and the old wine cellar.

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