Page 141 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

C APE T OWN  139

V&A WATERFRONT

Cape Town’s successful Waterfront project upgrade and develop the site. Today,
was named after the son of Queen Victoria. visitors can stroll through the shopping
In 1860, a young Prince Alfred initiated areas and enjoy a meal in one of the
the construction of the first breakwater many eater ies, while watching the daily
in stormy Table Bay, by toppling a load of workings of the harbour.
rocks that had been exca vated from the In Table Bay, some 11 km (7 miles)
sea floor into the water. The Alfred Basin, north of the Waterfront, lies Robben
which was subse quently created, successfully Island, the political enclave that gained
protected visiting ships from the powerful international fame for the high-profile
gales howling around the Cape in winter exiles incarcerated there. For most of its
that had previously caused an alarming recorded history, the island has served
number of vessels to founder. as a place of confinement – for early
Increased shipping volumes led to the slaves, convicts, lepers and the mentally
building of the Victoria Basin in order to unstable. In 1961, however, it became a
ease the pressure on Alfred. From the 1960s, maximum security prison for leading
the basins and surrounding harbour buildings political activists, among them Nelson
gradually fell into disrepair. Then, in 1988, the Mandela. Today, the island is a protected
Waterfront Company set out to modernize, area, and the prison is now a museum.

Sights at a Glance
1 V&A Waterfront pp140–5
2 Robben Island pp146–7

BREAKWATER
Green Point Robben
BEACH BAY BEACH Granger Island
Bay
METROPOLITAN
GOLF COURSE BREAKWATER BLVD
GREEN POINT
URBAN PARK CAPE TOWN
VLEI FRITZ SONNENBERG BAY BLVD Victoria
STADIUM
BILL GRANGER Basin
PETERS SOUTH ARM
WESTERN BLVD PORTSWOOD SOUTH ARM
MAIN Waterfront
V & A
YORK
CAVALCADE HELEN SUZMAN BLVD Marina FISH MARKET EASTERN MOLE Ben Schoeman
Dock
PINE
WIGTOWN
DOCK
EBENEZER PORT DOCK D U N C A N REPAIR QUAY
Duncan Dock
PRESTWICH
SOMERSET
HIGHFIELD TERRACE
JACKSON WHARF
0 metres 500
0 yards 500

The Cape Wheel, which provides panoramic views of Cape Town from its cabins For keys to symbols see back flap

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