Scottburgh () is a coastal resort town located 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. It situated south of the mouth of the Mpambanyoni River ''(confuser of birds).''

History

Named after Natal Colony Governor

John Scott John Scott may refer to: Academics * John Scott (1639–1695), English clergyman and devotional writer * John Witherspoon Scott (1800–1892), American minister, college president, and father of First Lady Caroline Harrison * John Work Scott (180 ...

, in 1860 it became the second township at the end of Durban but was initially known as ''Devonport''. Scottburgh then became a very promising port as well as a new attractive location for sugar farms and sugar mills. In about 1850 the town started to attract immigrants especially from Great Britain and Ireland, known as the ''Byrne Settlers''. They came to take advantage of the good harbours, to export their sugar both internally and overseas. Scottburgh became an independent municipality in 1964.

Geography

Location

Scottburgh is situated on the Umdoni Coast sub-region of the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, approximately 53 km south-west of Durban and 58 km north-east of

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 120 km south of Durban. ...

. Neighbouring towns of Scottburgh (excluding those part of Greater Scottburgh) include

Amandawe Amandawe () also known as Amandawe Mission, or often informally abbreviated as AMA is a small township located at KwaZulu-Natal South Coast region of South Africa, the area is mostly populated with Black Africans. History Amandawe was a sugarc ...

Dududu Dududu is a small rural area in the South Coast of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is also referred to as Zembeni by locals. The area is primarily used for agriculture, i.e. the sugarcane plantations by the Illovo Sugar company. ...

, Umkomaas, Clansthal, Umzinto,

Sezela Sezela is a small town on the mouth of iSezela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The town is 78.7 km south of Durban. It is notable for its large sugar mill. Etymology The river and the town are named after a crocodile. In 1828, the Z ...

and

Bazley Beach Bazley or Bazley Beach is a residential beach town along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, south of Durban. It was named after John Bazley, an engineer and Byrne Settler whose son William successfully opened the Mzimkulu River mouth for shipping in ...

Communities

The Greater Scottburgh area consists of Scottburgh proper (the main town) which is south of the Mpambanyoni River as well as Freeland Park north of the river and Kelso,

Park Rynie Park Rynie is a small resort town on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was established in 1857 and possibly named after Renetta (nicknamed Rynie) Hoets, wife of one of the John Phillip Hoffman, partner in the firm Nosworthy ...

, Pennington, Scottburgh South and Selborne Golf Estate to the south of Scottburgh proper.

Drainage

Scottburgh is a bay situated on the southern banks of the Mpambanyoni River, a short river that culminates in a lagoon. It is one of the best geographic examples of a bay on the South African coast. Mpambanyoni mouth has fluctuated in surface area and volume dramatically over the years, due to the frequent droughts, occasional cyclones, and other extreme weather conditions that can affect KwaZulu-Natal. Most notorious of the above-mentioned cyclones was Domoina of 1984 and the floods of 1987, which resulted in widespread flooding and infrastructural damage, including the destruction of the Old Main Road bridge from Umkomaas.

Wildlife

Wildlife found regularly inside the township includes snakes,

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s, numerous insects, millipedes,

bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ra ...

, mongi, and most famously, large numbers of vervet monkeys. Genets have been sighted, and there are occasional unverified spottings of civets and similar small

felines The Felinae are a subfamily of the family Felidae. This subfamily comprises the small cats having a bony hyoid, because of which they are able to purr but not roar. Other authors have proposed an alternative definition for this subfamily: as c ...

and cat-like mammals. Birds are abundant, perhaps the most noticeable being the raucous and much-loved hadeda ibis. The Indian mynah is widespread but regarded as a pest due to its habits of defecating in public restaurants and eating areas and pillaging the nests of native birds. This bird has presented similar problems in other areas in South Africa,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and New Zealand. The sardine run is also visible from the shores of Scottburgh and its surroundings most winters. The

umdoni ''Syzygium cordatum'' is an evergreen, water-loving tree, which grows to a height of 8–15 m. This tree is often found near streams, on forest margins or in swampy spots. The leaves are elliptic to circular, bluish green on top and a paler green ...

and ''

Strelitzia ''Strelitzia'' is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. The genus is named after Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom, who was born a princess of the house of Meckle ...

'' are the best-known trees specifically associated with Scottburgh and its environs.

Economy

Scottburgh is also particularly renowned for its large surfing community. Superior waves are to be found along the coast, especially during the winter months. Popular spots include Green Point, Pennington, Kelso, Scottburgh and Rocky Bay. Many other perfect breaks along this coast can be found. Surfers and bodyboarders from around the world come for surf trips around the south coast, and would visit Scottburgh in particular for its worldwide surfing reputation. However, one appeal of Scottburgh beach is its grass-covered banks leading down to sandy beaches, which have made it a popular holiday resort for holidaymakers for many years. Most Scottburgh residents work for small local businesses or the state sector, while larger industries are located in the nearby towns of Umkomaas, Umzinto, and Sezela. North of the Mpambanyoni lies the suburb of Freeland Park, largely residential but also possessing the Cutty Sark Hotel and a river populated by juvenile and adolescent

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

s. These crocodiles are also the product of the 1987 cyclone, when infant crocodiles escaped from the nearby Crocworld theme park. South of Scottburgh proper, and separated from it by the Country Club, Golf Course, and a considerable expanse of bush, is Scottburgh South, and a few kilometres inland lies the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

farming hamlet of Renishaw, well known for its chapel.

Culture and contemporary life

Tourism

Scottburgh Main beach along with Pennington and Park Rynie have been awarded blue flag status as of the 2014/15 summer season. Scottburgh and Pennington are both very popular for tourists to make their way to the beach. Scottburgh along with the two hotels and many B&Bs is also home to an award-winning caravan park and camping ground. The summer season sees many tourists from the inland flock to the beaches of the South Coast. There are many activities that contribute to Scottburgh being a popular destination such as Microlighting, Diving, Shark cage diving, Sea rides, Rock and surf fishing, Surfing, Umdoni Park run, Bicycle trails. There are many more activities that can be inquired at the local South Coast tourism office. Scottburgh2

Education

Scottburgh has several educational institutions, including pre-primary schools, a co-ed primary school, and an English medium co-ed high school. * Scottburgh Pre-Primary * Hilltop Pre-Primary * Casa di Montessori Pre-School * Scottburgh Primary (Grades 1-7), * Scottburgh High School (Grades 8-12) *Umdoni Christian Academy (Grades R-12)

Infrastructure

Roads

The N2 national highway runs past Scottburgh bordering it to the west and links the town to Durban in the north-east and

in the south-west. Access to Scottburgh from the N2 is mainly obtained through the ''P188'' interchange (Exit 110) or alternatively the R612 interchange (Exit 104) in Park Rynie. Other arterial routes in the Greater Scottburgh area include the R102, R612 and P188. The R102 regional route bypasses Scottburgh to the east and links the town to Umkomaas,

Umgababa Umgababa is a rural community area with a large marketplace for tourists in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It forms part of eThekwini. Etymology The river valley's name ''uMgababa'' is of Zulu origin meaning ''the place of jealousy'', its origin ...

and Kingsburgh in the north-east and Park Rynie, Pennington and

Hibberdene Hibberdene is a small coastal town on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in South Africa. It was named after C. Maxwell-Hibberd, the former postmaster-general of Natal. Hibberdene is located in the Hibiscus Coast region of the KZN South Coast and is ...

in the south-west. The R612 regional route begins from the intersection with the R102 in Park Rynie and links the Greater Scottburgh area to Umzinto in the west and Ixopo and

Donnybrook Donnybrook may refer to: Places Australia * Donnybrook, Queensland, Australia * Donnybrook, Western Australia * Donnybrook, Victoria, Australia ** Donnybrook railway station, Victoria, Australia Canada * Donnybrook, Ontario, a former village in ...

in the north-west. ''P188'' (Dududu road) is a secondary road that links Scottburgh from its Freeland Park suburb, lifestyle retirement village Rehishaw Hills to the N2 highway and

in the north-west.

Notable residents

Well-known people associated with Scottburgh include: * Dr Thomas Chalmers Robertson – world-renowned conservationist and author *

Joel Stransky Joel Theodore Stransky (born 16 July 1967) is a South African former rugby union player. A fly-half, he is known for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. ...

– former Springbok rugby player *

Tony Pooley Tony Charles (Mashesha) Pooley (1938–2004) was a South African naturalist, award-winning conservationist and one of the world's foremost authorities on the Nile crocodile. Born in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal, Pooley was a keen ornithologist ...

– the late conservationist * Dave Bell

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Umdoni Local Municipality Populated coastal places in South Africa Populated places established in 1860 KwaZulu-Natal South Coast