History of Camps Bay

Like the rest of Cape Town the earliest inhabitants were the San and later on the Khoi.  The Khoi was displaced by the Dutch and their numbers were reduced by measles and small pox and by 1712 all that was left was an old kraal.  When the Dutch arrived in the Cape still had lions, leopard and antelope.  The Camps area was first granted to John Lodewyk Wernich from Bismarck in Germany.  His father Joachim Wernich was the mayor of Bismarck.  John Lodewyk Wernich built a farmhouse in the area and called it Ravensteyn.

It seems like the land was passed down to his son Johan Wernich who married a certain Anna Koekemoer.  When Johan passed away Anna married a sailor Fredrik Ernst von Kamptz and the area became known as ‘Die Baai van van von Kamptz’.  From this name the name Camps Bay was later on derived.  Ernst von Kamptz build a track from his house to Cape Town.

During the war between the Dutch and the British the French came to the aid of the Dutch at the Cape and in the process fortifications were build and Ernst von Kamptz track were destroyed.  After the war Ernst von Kamptz complained about the damage to his track and farm he was compensated and the farm was taken over by the then government.

For most of the 1800s Camps Bay was undeveloped. Lord Charles Somerset used the area for hunting and used the Roundhouse as his lodge. Kloof Road was built in 1848 and in 1884 Thomas Bain was asked to build a road from Sea Point to Camps Bay using convict labour.  The road was completed in 1887 and named Victoria road to honour Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1888.  The road allowed people to cycle out to Camps Bay which had gained popularity as a picnic site. This led to the development, in 1901 of the Camps Bay tramway to bring people out for the day and with it the development of the tidal pools, the Rotunda (now the Bay Hotel) and a pavilion for concerts and shows.

Modern Camps Bay

Camps Bay Beach is the largest Camps Bay beach with a large white beach that also has Blue Flag Status. There is a seasonal life guardswith toilets at the west end of the beach. The beach is opposite Camps Bay's main tourist hub, featuring multiple hotels, restaurants, and shops.

Camps Bay other beaches are Oudekraal, Lui Bay, Koeël Bay, Bakoven and Glen Beach.

Oudekraal is made up of a collection of tiny beaches sheltered amongst the boulders with well established picnic area with lawns, braais, covered seating areas with tables, benches and public toilets.

Lui Bay (also known as Witsand) a popular dive site, in 1977 two scrap vessels (The Antipolis And Romelia) were being towed around the cape when their tow line broke in a storm. This caused the Antipolis to run aground near Oudekraal while the Romelia floundered further south between Llandudno and Sandy Bay. The hull of the Antipolis is now visible at low tide.

Koeël Bay has an open-air curio market, that sells hand crafted items.

Bakoven gets it name because of a large rock just off-shore with what appears as oven door in its side. There are several sheltered coves located in Bakoven. There is a Sea rescue base stationed here and a popular swimming beach is off Beta Close. In the early 1940s a row of beach front houses were erected to house honored members of the South African Army who fought during World War II. Many of these old houses still stand and are now registered as South African National Heritage Sites.

Glen Beach, at the far right of Camps Bay beach, hidden behind large boulders is Camps Bay's best surfing beach. Short, fast rides and a small take-off area makes Glen Beach one of the hardest of Cape Town's beach breaks to surf and has resulted in a strong local atmosphere.

During holidays Camps Bay is mostly packed packed with holiday makers and foreigners alike. Property in the Camps Bay area are expensive and you can find some of the most expensive properties in South Africa in the Camps Bay area. You will find lots of shops and restuarants in the Camps Bay area with people enjoying life.