Page 149 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

ROBBEN ISLAND  147

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Road map B5. Tel 021 413 4200.
Closed rough seas.
8 obliga tory; book 2 days ahead
(2 wks in high season). 7 give
ticket office advance notice. &
= ∑ robben-island.org.za
Transport
Offshore Island g Apr–Sep: 9 & 11am, 1pm daily;
This flat, rocky island lies 11 km (7 miles) north of Cape Town in the Oct–Mar: 9 & 11am, 1 & 3pm daily
icy Atlantic Ocean. Composed mainly of blue slate, it is only 30 m (N Mandela Gateway, Clock Tower
(98 ft) above sea level at its highest point. None of the trees on Precinct, V&A Waterfront).
the island are indigenous.

Caspian Tern . The Prison
This endan­ Robben Island served
. Governor’s House gered migrant as a place of banishment
This splendid Victorian building bird species breeds from 1658, when
dates from 1895 and was on the northern Jan van Riebeeck sent
originally the home of the Island part of the island. his interpreter here. The
Commissioner. Today it serves as maximum security prison
a conference centre and provides was completed in 1964.
upmarket accommo dation for
visiting dignitaries and VIPs.

0 metres 150
0 yards 150

The Church of the
Good Shepherd
Designed by Sir Herbert
Baker, this stone church was
built by lepers in 1895,
for use by men only.
Worshippers had to stand
or lie down because
there were no pews.

. Lime Quarry
Political prisoners,
required to work in this
quarry for at least six
hours a day, suffered
damage to their eyesight
due to the constant dust
and the glare of the
sunlight on the stark
white lime cliffs.

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