Plettenberg Bay : Van Plettenberg Monument

After a detour to George to fetch my camera we were back in Plettenberg Bay and was ready for a bit of sightseeing. I found some great ideas of things to do on a “The Firefly Photo Files-blog”.  Our first stop was at the Van Plettenberg monument. 
 In 1448 Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias named Plettenberg bay “Bahia das Alagoas” or “Bay of the Lagoons”.  In 1576 another Portuguese, Manuel da Mesquita Perestrello named it “Bahia Formosa” or “Bay Beautiful”.  In about 1776 the first Dutch people started to live in the Plettenberg bay area.  During 1778 Baron Joachim van Plettenberg, who was the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, arrived in the area.  He decided to give the town his name and since then it was known as Plettenberg Bay.

He erected a slate possessional stone to indicate that the bay belonged to the Dutch East India Company.  This stone is now known as the Van Plettenberg Monument.  It was difficult to read the stone beacon because of damage (although it is protected with a fence) but there was a sign with information about the beacon.









 
Location: Meeding Crescent, Plettenberg Bay 6600, South Africa

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