Noordhoek | |
|---|---|
 Noordhoek Beach fromChapman's Peak Drive withKommetjie in the distance. | |
  Noordhoek  Noordhoek  Noordhoek | |
| Coordinates:34°06′14″S18°21′36″E / 34.104°S 18.360°E /-34.104; 18.360 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| Municipality | City of Cape Town |
| Area | |
• Total | 29.05 km2 (11.22 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 31,980 |
| • Density | 1,101/km2 (2,851/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 67.3% |
| • Coloured | 2.3% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 24.6% |
| • Other | 5.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 47.4% |
| • English | 28.5% |
| • Afrikaans | 4.8% |
| • Sotho | 1.1% |
| • Other | 18.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| PO box | 7979 |
Noordhoek is a seaside town in theWestern Cape,South Africa, located belowChapman's Peak on the west coast of theCape Peninsula and is approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the south ofCape Town. The name "Noordhoek" was taken fromDutch and literally means "north corner". It was given this name in 1743 as being the northern corner of the Slangkop farm. The first permanent resident of European origin is Jaco Malan who built his house there. In 1857, the region was divided into six plots, most of which were bought by a single family, that of the de Villiers. Noordhoek nevertheless remains a predominantly rural area where farmers grow vegetables to supply ships calling at Simon's Town. It is best known for its shoreline and its long, wide, sandy beach, which stretches south to the neighbouring village ofKommetjie. Near the southern end of this beach is the wreck of the steamship "Kakapo", which ran aground in 1900, when the captain mistook Chapman's Peak for theCape of Good Hope and put the helm over to port.[2]
Noordhoek can be accessed either from the scenic coastal roadChapman's Peak Drive, which leads out ofHout Bay or via the mountain roadOu Kaapse Weg which cuts through theSilvermine Nature Reserve - now part of theTable Mountain National Park. Noordhoek is a small scattered community of houses, often with sea views and has a large horse population as riding on the long sandy beach is common; the beach is a 6 km (3.7 mi) stretch of fine white sand backed by Chapman's Peak (592 m (1,942 ft)) and theTable Mountain National Park. Winds are often strong and the sea is cold and wild. The town consists of a riding stables and a scattering of villas in a wide grassy valley with oak trees. In the middle of this valley is the Noordhoek Farm Village, with craft shops, a playground, café, pub and restaurant.[3]
Noordhoek is accessed by two metropolitan routes within theGreater Cape Town metropolitan area, the M6 and M65.
TheM6 links Noordhoek toHout Bay andCape Town in the north as ‘Noordhoek Main Road’ andSimon’s Town in the south-east as ‘Glencairn Expressway’ and the M64, better known as ‘Ou Kaapse Weg’ links Noordhoek to Westlake and Cape Town (via theM3 freeway) through the Steenberg mountains.
