Warner Beach

Warner Beach is a small resort town south of the Little Manzimtoti River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and it forms part of eThekwini. It was laid out by surveyor P.A. Warner as a residential area in 1910 for government pensioners.

It is a coastal village, with a residential area as well as tourist, schooling and shopping facilities. Whales and dolphins can at times be seen in the Indian Ocean adjacent to the area. The annual "Sardine Run" is a migration of huge schools of fish, attracting tourists and fishermen. Temperatures are mild and pleasant throughout the year, due to the temperature-stabilizing effect of the warm ocean current that flows in the coastal waters. A pleasant sea breeze can often be experienced with a cool temperature and a pleasant sea aroma. The vegetation is normally green throughout the year. Adjacent coastal areas are Winklespruit to the south and Doonside to the north.

There are excellent surfing conditions at Warner Beach, which is why this small town has created some of the best surfers on a global scale. Close by lies the Aliwal Shoal which is definitely one of the best dive sites in the area. Kit surfing, paddle skiing, canoeing, beach walks, scuba diving, jogging and fishing are popular activities.

A name that is often used for Warner Beach is Baggies Beach, but there is contention as to the validity of the name.
Investigations show that the name Baggies Beach was originally used for St Winifred's Beach which is also known as Subway Beach.
The beach known as Warner Beach was also called Crane Beach, due to the presence of a construction crane at a building site next to the beach.

An excellent short Film of Warner Beach at sunrise, filmed by Dan Dedekind is available here
short Film with an Aerial view of Warner Beach



• Warner Beach History – Good to Know •

Fred Mohnhaupt and Gus Brown the fore-founders of Warner Beach

Gus Brown was born in Durban and lived on the Berea.

Very close friends both worked in the wool trade in Durban, Gus worked with Fred who was his superior and a wealthy business man making his money in the wool trade in South Africa.

Both loved the entertainment world, and had many friends in Durban and afar, together travelling abroad on many occasions.

With a vision, in 1914, close friends Gus and Fred moved to Warner Beach where Fred purchased 82 acres of vacant land, outlined area was approximately (N to S: Kingsway (Warner Beach School) to St Winifreds near Almond Rd , E to W: Coastline to Dimple Lea Rd vicinity)

Fred had the financial investment and Gus the vision and ideas and together they developed Warner Beach.

An infrastructure on their land was developed, basic gravel tracks, buildings etc., “Gus Brown Road” and other roads as they are today. They took on a local man Ray Edkins to farm their land so as to supply meat and vegetables to the hotel and area.

Gus Brown Road lead to a Hotel which they had built called the “Strelitzia Hotel”, which attracted visitors, many of their friends travelled out from Durban to stay at Warner Beach. Hosting many dances and a variety of entertainments. During and after the war soldiers and airman visited Warner Beach and stayed at the Strelitza hotel. Demand grew and Fred built another hotel on his land, the “Strand Hotel”. Warner Beach became a popular destination for holiday seekers, attracting visitors from the Transvaal and further afield. Guests enjoyed participating in the many social activities set up by Fred and Gus at their hotels.

Gus had a brother Colin, Colin Brown married Marjorie Champion in 1926 at the Strelitza Hotel, as there was no church at the time, the Bishop of Durban had to give consent for the marriage to take place at the hotel. As a wedding gift, Fred and Gus gave Colin and Marjorie land of their choice in Warner Beach, they chose and lived for many years on the property of 17 Gus Brown Road. In later years Colin then gave his son Brian a section of his property as a wedding gift to Brian and Robin Brown who also established their home at 15 Gus Brown Road for many years.

Some of the developments Fred and Gus initiated in Warner Beach:

· Blasting out the rocks of the Warner Beach tidal pool, this was done for Strelitzia hotel guests to use.

· Establishing a bowling green in Warner Beach, attracting visitors from all over.

· Donated land for a small church to be built so that weddings could be held in Warner Beach, today its St Marys Church.

· Donated land for a hall to be built to house various functions, known as the “Strelitzia Hall” for many years.

In about 1946 Fred Mohnhaupt and Gus Brown finally sold both their “Strelitzia” and “Strand” hotels and moved back to Durban where they settled down to their retirements.

''And that's how Warner Beach came about.''

Transport

The R102 Kingsway (Andrew Zondo Road) runs along the coast as the main arterial road of Warner Beach. The regional route links the coastal village to Doonside and Amanzimtoti in the north and Winklespruit and Umkomaas in the south.

The N2 highway cuts through Warner Beach however the coastal village does not have direct access to the freeway. Access to Warner Beach from the N2 can be obtained either through the ''Seadoone Road'' interchange (Exit 137) in Doonside and the R603 interchange (Exit 133) in Winklespruit. The highway links Warner Beach and Kingsburgh as a whole to Amanzimtoti and Durban in the north-east and Port Shepstone in the south-west.

References

{{eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

Populated places in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Populated places established in 1910