Port Edward is a small

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

situated on the

south coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It lies north of the Mtamvuna Gorge which includes the

Mtamvuna River Mtamvuna River is a river that forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa. The river has a wide mouth and flows into the Indian Ocean just south of Port Edward. The Mtamvuna river is approximately 162&nb ...

and is the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

. It is situated on the R61 road (future

N2 Wild Coast Toll Route The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it the ...

) between Port Shepstone and

Lusikisiki Lusikisiki is a town in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rustling sound of reeds in the wind, named by the local Xhosa people. Lusikisiki is 45 kilometers ...

History

In 1831 there was a crisis between the settlers in Port Natal (

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

) and

Dingane Dingane ka Senzangakhona Zulu (–29 January 1840), commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan, was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828, after assassinating his brother Shaka. He set up his royal capital, uMgungundlovu, a ...

, the Zulu king. Some settlers boarded a ship that was in the harbour and the others, including

Henry Francis Fynn Henry Francis Fynn (29 March 1803 in Grosvenor Square, London, England – 20 September 1861 in Durban, Natal, South Africa) was an English traveler and trader. He was among the first Europeans to make contact with Shaka Zulu. Fynn, Coen ...

and his family, fled down the coast. The Zulu warriors caught up with them where Port Edward is today and massacred the fleeing settlers, which included local tribespeople of Langeni, on a hill called Isandlundlu (in English, ''shaped like a hut''). The place has been known ever since as Tragedy Hill and its slopes are still littered with the bones of the victims. In 1552, the Portuguese carrick "Sao Joao" ran aground at Port Edward and this is the first time in recorded history that peoples from Europe met peoples from South Africa. In 1878, the ship "The Ivy" ran aground on Leisure Bay area beach. In 1925, the area was partly owned by TK Pringle, and he named the inland portion Banner Rest as this was where he wished to "strike his banner". The village was laid out and was named Port Edward in honour of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, who later became

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

. The first holiday cottage in Port Edward was a shack built among the sand dunes in the early days by transport rider Edward Stafford. Unaware of their motility, however, he was surprised and dismayed to see his fine creation swallowed up. The area was subjected to several name changes as property was bought and sold, but the practice came to an end in 1952 when the town of Port Edward was ceremoniously dedicated to the then Prince of Wales.

Geography

Location

Port Edward lies on the southernmost part of KwaZulu-Natal and lies north of the

which is the border between

and the

, south of

Southbroom Southbroom is a coastal village in Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located 143 km south-west of Durban, and 213 km south of Pietermaritzburg. The village was officially founded in 1933, an ...

and west of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. The town is positioned along the

R61 R61 may refer to: * R61 (South Africa) The R61 is a long provincial route in South Africa that connects Beaufort West with Port Shepstone via Graaff-Reinet, Komani (previously Queenstown), Mthatha and Port Edward. The R61 is co-signed with the ...

(future

) leading to

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...

to the west and

to the north-east. The coastline between Port Edward and Hibberdene to the north is popularly known as the

Hibiscus Coast The Hibiscus Coast is a populated area on a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It has a population of making it the 11th most populous urban area in New Zealand, and the second most populous in the Auckland Re ...

because of its lush sub-tropical gardens.

Suburbs

Port Edward's greater or suburban area stretches from Palm Beach in the north to Rennies Beach in the south. *Banners Rest *Black Rock *Doc Wilson Point *Ekubo Coastal Estate * Glenmore *Ivy Beach * Leisure Bay *Leisure Crest *Meadowbrook *

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

*North Sand Bluff * Palm Beach *Rennies Beach *Rocklands *Salmon Bay *Three Hills

Tourism

Port Edward is a tourist resort for seasonal visitors from more affluent regions of South Africa. There are many tourist seasons that influence Port Edward but the most significant is the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

period spanning from early December to mid-January. Port Edward's Silver Beach hosts an annual New Year's Eve party frequented by youths whilst on New Year's Day itself, families populate the beach for continued celebrations.
Holiday accommodation
is a particularly important source of income for the region throughout the year.

Beaches

Beaches in the greater Port Edward area include: * Black Rock Beach * Dassie Beach *

Glenmore Beach Glenmore may refer to: Australia * Glenmore, Queensland, a suburban district of Rockhampton, Queensland ** Glenmore Homestead, Rockhampton, an historic property near Rockhampton, Queensland * Glenmore, Victoria *Glenmore Park, New South Wales **Gle ...

* Ivy Beach * Kidds Beach * Leisure Beach * Munster Beach * Palm Beach * Port Edward Main Beach: There is a ski boat launch facility at the main beach and it is also home to South Africa's longest supertube. * Portobello Beach * Rennies Beach * Salmon Bay Beach * Silver Beach: This beach is a popular fishing destination and fishing is one of the most popular sports in Port Edward. * Spiros Rocks Beach * T.O. Beach/Strand

Attractions

* Beaver Creek Coffee Estate is a café on Izingolweni Road. It also offers visitors a daily tour of the distinctive flavours of the world's coffee regions and how the coffee production works. * Red Desert Nature Conservation Reserve is a national heritage site and is reputed to be the smallest desert in the world with a width of just 200m, and is also used for hiking and mountain biking through the extra-terrestrial terrain. * Tragedy Hill is a sightseeing spot overlooking Silver Beach. It was named after an massacre whereby Zulu warriors massacred the family of pioneer Henry Flynn due to confusion over stolen cattle. The heartbroken Zulu King ordered the man who started the rumour to be executed by one of the surviving settlers who was given 5 heads of cattle as a reward. * Umtamvuna Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located on the banks of the Mtamvuna River on the outskirts of Port Edward * Wild Coast Sun is a casino and resort located on the opposite bank of the Mtamvuna River. It includes an 18-hole golf course and the famous Wild Waves Water Park which offers a variety of water sports.

Sardine Run

Another main season coincides with the

Sardine run The KwaZulu-Natal sardine run of southern Africa occurs from May through July when billions of sardines – or more specifically the Southern African pilchard ''Sardinops sagax'' – spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northwar ...

natural phenomenon usually occurring from late May to mid-July.

Economy

Recently large retail franchises Boxer Superstores and

Shoprite Holdings Shoprite Holdings Ltd (), is Africa’s largest supermarket retailer, operating more than 2,989 stores across Africa. The company's headquarters are in Brackenfell in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Shoprite Holdings Limited is a ...

have shown interest in Port Edward. With the local economy growing, the town is set for a bright future.

Schools

There are various small schools in Port Edward, some consisting of only 50+ children; however the most popular of these schools is Port Edward Primary School.

Golf

The only golf course in Port Edward is the Port Edward Country Club which is a 9-hole golf course. Surrounding 18-hole golf courses include Wild Coast Sun, San Lameer, Southbroom Golf Club, Margate Country Club, Port Shepstone Country Club, Umdoni Park and Selborne which are highly ranked by both Golf Digest and The Compleat Golfer.

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is the

Margate Airport Margate Airport is an airport in Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa . The airport is welcomed by many tourists (including local and international) and provides a convenient alternative to King Shaka International Airport in Durban. It only ...

about 32 km north-east of Port Edward in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

. This airport offers one scheduled direct route to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

operated by

CemAir CemAir (Pty) Ltd is a privately owned airline operating in South Africa, servicing popular tourist destinations and important business towns, as well as leasing aircraft to other airlines across Africa and the Middle East. The airline is based i ...

. The nearest international airport is the King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) which is north of Durban and is 196 km north-east of Port Edward. KSIA offers regional flights to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

, intercontinental flights to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

as well as many domestic flights.

Road

Port Edward is located on the

which is a regional route connecting to Port Shepstone via

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

and Shelly Beach in the north and

Beaufort West Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beauf ...

via Bizana,

Port St. Johns Port St. Johns (or Port Saint Johns) is a town of about 6,500 people on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, northeast of East London and east of Mthatha. Port St. Jo ...

and

Komani Queenstown, officially Komani, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly halfway between the smaller towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom on the N6 National Route. The town was established in 1853 and is curr ...

in the south. The R61 meets the N2 in Port Shepstone and the N2 further connects to

and

Kokstad Kokstad is a town in the Harry Gwala District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here in 1863. Kokstad is the capital town of the East Griqualand region, as it i ...

. The Izingolweni Road is a small road that connects to

Izingolweni Izingolweni or Ezinqoleni is a town in Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It was founded in the 1870s as a police and administration post. The name comes from the Zulu language word for "place with very shal ...

and is one of the alternatives for people traveling to Port Edward via the N2 and don't want to encounter with the Oribi Toll Plaza in Port Shepstone.

References

KwaZulu-Natal South Coast

External links

Travel Guide to Port Edward

360 degree Virtual Tour of Glenmore Beach

Holiday Accommodation around Port Edward
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal Populated places in the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality Populated coastal places in South Africa