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The new Harbour of Hermanus |
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Attractions |
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Hermanus hosts an annual whale festival at the end of September, when the Southern Right whales come into the local bay during the mating season. Prior to this main whale festival a "Kalfiefees" (or "Calf Festival") is held, to welcome the first whales in August. Both festivals are characterized by food and craft stalls and also attract South African drama productions to the town. The hinterland beyond the town is largely wild and mountainous and there are many remote areas of hills and wild ravines. The rising thermals rising around the rugged heights of the Fernkloof Nature Reserve attract paragliders from all over the world. Hermanus had since August 1992 the world’s only Whale Crier who sounds his kelp horn to announce where whales have been sighted. Zakes Mda wrote 2005 the novel The Whale Caller in which the Whale Crier of Hermanus is the main character, a man who gets enthralled by a Southern Right whale he names Sharisha. |
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Hermanus Beaches |
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Grotto Beach is the largest beach in Hermanus and has also been proclaimed a "Blue Flag" beach which ensures its preservation as a world heritage site. Other beaches include Voelklip, Onrus, Kammabaai and Langbaai. |
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Suburbs of Hermanus |
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Suburbs surrounding Hermanus:
Eastcliff, Northcliff, Westcliff, Sandbaai, Onrus, Vermont and Voëlklip.
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Description |
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Hermanus (originally called Hermanuspietersfontein) is a town with 25,308 inhabitants on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is famous as a place from which to watch whales during the southern winter and spring and is a popular retirement town. The whales can be seen from the cliffs in the town centre from as early as June. They were once hunted locally, but are now protected. The Old Harbour Museum contains several exhibitions which explain the whaling history of Hermanus. |
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Location |
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Hermanus lies along the Walker Bay on the south coast of the Western Cape, It is located about 115km southeast of Cape Town and is connected to the Mother City by the R43 highway (or coastal R44 scenic route) and N2 motorway. The R43 continues to Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Africa. Hermanus is 40km from Gansbaai, a famous spot where one can dive amongst the Great White Sharks. It is also notable that Hermanus still boasts an historic railway station building although eventually no tracks were laid to connect the town to the national network. |
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Cliffs from where whales can be seen |
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Climate |
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Hermanus receives 518mm of rain all year round. It receives most of its rainfall during Winter and has a Mediterranean climate. It receives the lowest rainfall in January and the highest in July. Harmanus has an average midday temperature of 15.9°C to 24.9°C. |
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Whale "Crier" |
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