Simonstown is a historic town and is a working naval base for Cape Town…

Our exclusive Hoerikwaggo trail includes visiting Simonstown which was once called Simons Vlek – named after Simon van der Stel who was the governor of the Cape Colony in the 1600’s. This town is still a working naval base and harbour – the harbour is protected from the sea elements by a huge man-made ‘breakwater’ that was constructed out of thousands of massive blocks of sandstone. This working Simonstown naval base is located on the shores of False Bay and is filled with history…

In about 1795 the British forces built a defensive tower that was 26 feet high, 42 feet wide and 6 feet thick… The British were trying to protect themselves from the Dutch and the French from attacking them, this Simonstown tower was then used as a navigational beacon for ships entering Simonstown Bay. The tower was then restored in 1972 and was proclaimed a national monument… today it is a museum filled with interesting facts!

Simonstown isn’t complete without a mention of ‘Just Nuisance’; a dog that was officially enlisted in the royal navy, and ‘served’ for the royal navy in Simonstown from 1939-1944. He was referred to as a nuisance because he used to catch the naval trains unaccompanied – not to mention that dogs were not allowed on the trains at all! The train captain wanted to put him down, but the soldiers protested and awarded him naval colours so he could travel on the trains…He was buried in 1944 with FULL military colours. There is even a statue of him erected in the Simonstown Jubilee square.

Simonstown also boasts 21 old buildings located in St Georges Street (the main street in Simonstown), some of these buildings over 150 years old – allowing for some fantastic architectural photos.

Some of the most popular places to visit in Simontown are; The Simonstown museum, the toy museum, the SA Naval museum, Church of St Francis (believed to be the oldest Anglican Church in SA) and much more. There are also many interesting things to do in Cape Town and Simonstown such as; fishing (yellowtail, snoek, snapper, variety of salmon…), sea-kayaking and boat trips!

Currently Simonstown is a working naval base with a host of battle ships and submarines, visiting this area on the Hoerikwaggo trail or on a Cape Town holiday will prove to be a historical adventure.