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Places of Interest in and
around St Lucia
Cape St
Lucia
Cape St Lucia
lies 15 Km south of the town of St Lucia, about 50km
north of Richard Bay. Cape St Lucia is inaccessible
because of the sandy road conditions and a four wheel
drive vehicle is needed to get there. Historically,
people used to get to Cape St Lucia via the beach from
Richard bay, but these days it is easiest by boat.
The section of
coastline between Cape St Lucia and Bhanga Nek has the
second highest vegetated dunes in the world, the
highest being on Frasier Island off the east coast of
Australia. The sand dunes are covered with lush
subtropical dune forest and are home to some rare
animal such as the Gaboon adder, Samango monkey and
Red Duiker.
Cape St Lucia
is know for its excellent angling, and spearfishing.
There are several reefs at Cape St Lucia and the
Agulas ocean current comes close in to shore, but
there is a very healthy population of bull sharks
(known locally as the Zambezi shark), so be warned! By
boat, it takes about half and hour to get from the St
Lucia Estuary mouth to Cape St Lucia. Skippers are
advised that it is not wise to go from St Lucia
Estuary to Cape St Lucia when a strong northerly wind
is expected.
Cape St
Lucia Lighthouse
Note: The Cape St Lucia lighthouse has been destroyed by
the local Zulu community and nothing remains of the
lighthouse or surrounding buildings. What follows is thus
history!
The
lighthouse at Cape St Lucia was erected in 1906 and
stills shines bright to this day. The tower is painted
with black and white horizontal stripes and is
equipped with a radio beacon. The lighthouse is fully
automatic with triple mutual diesel/alternator sets.
Life at Cape St Lucia for the light keepers and their
spouses has always been a lonely one. With the
exception of the period 1908-1912 and 1947-1951, one
man has staffed the Cape St Lucia lighthouse. During
the period of 1942 to 1946 however, the wife of light
keeper Coward was the only women light keeper to be
employed in the light service.
Cape St
Lucia Lighthouse Details
Cape St Lucia
Lighthouse - Light Type - Revolving electric
Cape St Lucia Lighthouse -Light Character - Group
flashing two every ten seconds
Cape St Lucia Lighthouse - Light Range - 24 sea miles
Cape St Lucia Lighthouse - Light Power - 600 000 CD
Cape St Lucia Lighthouse - Height of focal Plane - 113
meters above high water
Cape St Lucia
Lighthouse - Position 28 31 08 South, 31 23 50 East
Cape St
Lucia Dune Forests
The dune
forests at Cape St Lucia are home to a variety of rare
plants and animals including Samango monkeys, Red
Duiker and Gaboon adders. Cape St Lucia is so remote
and undisturbed, making it a perfect area for these
shy animals. The dune forests at Cape St Lucia are
under threat from dune mining because of the high
concentration of titanium, rutile and ilminite. RBM -
Richards Bay minerals, are already mining the area
between Cape St Lucia and Richard Bay. For thousands
of years the, the San people of Southern Africa lived
in the forests at Cape St Lucia. The main evidence for
this is the large number of ancient shell middens
between Cape St Lucia and the St Lucia Estuary. The
intertidal zone between the St Lucia estuary mouth and
Richard Bay is rich, with large mussel beds, making
Cape St Lucia an ideal area for shelter and food.
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