Hermanus was originally named Hermanuspieterfontein after an itinerant teacher from the 1830′s who grazed sheep near a fresh water spring in what is now Westcliff. Fishermen from Hawston started to settle here more than 150 years ago but the town gradually became known as a holiday resort and grew into the main coastal centre of the Overberg.
I am going to do 2 posts on Hermanus as there is a lot to see and do there and I have taken a lot of photos which I hope you find interesting.
I first started going to Hermanus about 45 years ago and boy has it changed over the years in comparison to a place such as Arniston which is further east along the coast . In those days Hermanus and Arniston had the same kind of feel – holiday, fishing village, sea side places, although Hermanus was even then quite a bit larger than Arniston. Now days Hermanus is a bustling, much larger and more modern town and for me has lost much of the charm that still exists at Arniston.
![View of the old harbour from Gearing Point.]( "IMG_3184")
- View of the old harbour from Gearing’s Point.
Monument housing the roll of honour for those from the area who perished in the 1st and 2nd World wars.
![nnnn]( "IMG_3171")
- Plaque for the Old Harbour which was for many years the centre of a thriving fishing industry.
Hermanus now has a vibrant tourism industry, boasts a large number of art galleries and restaurants and is, amongst others, home to an annual whale festival in September. From June to November, especially the area around the Old Harbour and Gearing’s Point offers excellent opportunities for watching whales which often come to within meters of the rocks.
![Gearing's Point which is ideal for whale watching.]( "IMG_3182")
- Gearing’s Point which is ideal spot for whale watching in season.
![Unfortuneatly I was there at the wrong time of the year so this statue had to make do.]( "IMG_3153")
- Unfortunately I was there at the wrong time of the year so this statue had to make do.
![One of the stalls at the thriving open air market.]( "IMG_3165")
- One of the stalls at the thriving open air market.
![There are 3 museums in the Old Harbour area and 1 ticket gets you into all 3.]( "IMG_3167")
- There are 3 museums in the Old Harbour area and 1 ticket gets you into all 3.
![Another of the 3 museums.]( "IMG_3174")
- Another of the 3 museums.
![Part of a whale skeleton at the entrance to the Whale Museum.]( "IMG_3168")
- Part of a whale skeleton at the entrance to the Whale Museum.
![You can hire this guy to give you a guided tour. It was a really hot day and business was slow so he was having a break.]( "IMG_3157")
- You can hire this guy to give you a guided tour. It was a really hot day and business was slow so he was having a break.
Most of the action takes place around the Old Harbour area and that is where you find all the great restaurants, art galleries and curio shops that Hermanus is well known for.
![Some great restaurants.]( "IMG_3160")
- Some great restaurants.
![Part of the main tourist area.]( "IMG_3152")
- Part of the main tourist area.
![There are also many hotels and B&B's in the Old Harbour Area and many more in the older part of Hermanus.]( "IMG_3177")
- There are also many hotels and B&B’s in the Old Harbour Area and many more in the older part of Hermanus.
As I said at the beginning of this post Hermanus is a really interesting place to visit and there is much to show and comment on. For this first part of my visit I have tried to cover what the average tourist would get to see if they came for a 1 day visit and will show more in my next post.
Published by Gone-Fishing.co.za