Graafs Pool Tunnel in Cape Town 1910

 

Graaf's Pool Tunnel in Cape Town 1910

 

If you ever travel in the Sea Point area of Cape Town and are passing the Bordeaux flats complex on the beachfront then stop in front of the building and ponder about the following. The Bordeaux apartment building used to be a family mansion originally owned by the Marais family, hence the naming of Marais Road on the one side of the present-day building. The Marais family named the original mansion Bordeaux in honour of their French heritage. The mansion was bought from the Marais family by the Graaf family who became well known in SA political circles for many years thereafter. Lady Graaf, who stayed in the Bordeaux mansion, used to on a daily basis cross the gravel road in front of her home so as to go swim in the sea for health purposes. There was however a railway / tram line on the beachfront that used to obstruct her path of travel to the beach. To accommodate this problem her husband built an underground tunnel from the Bordeaux mansion to the natural pool where she bathed daily. This pool is today known as Graaf's Pool and is used as a male nudist swimming pool while the "secret" underground tunnel still exists and runs under the Sea Point's Beach Road. If you don't believe me then when you do visit the area walk down to Graaf's Pool and as you go down the steps from the promenade look to your right and you will see the entrance to the tunnel boarded up in the beachfront wall.

 

https://youtu.be/n8bVFRHGWd0

The Portswood Tunnel 1860

 

The Portswood Tunnel 1860

Built in the 1860s, the tunnel was used for builders to get stone quarried from what is now the V&A Waterfront Marina to the other side of Portswood Ridge to build the breakwater.

The workers dug out a long cutting, through which gangs of sweating convicts pushed cocopans full of stone to where Quay 5, past where Ferryman’s, Mitchell’s Brewery and the Amphitheatre are today.

Much later, the cutting was roofed over and built on, and during World War II, was converted – without ever being needed – for use as an air-raid shelter.

It is currently used as a Wine Cellar, as well as for Art exhibitions and who knows it could be a Tunnel for growing Mushrooms.

There are plenty of other Tunnels below such as Cape Town’s main sewer line, the Drydock pump station tunnels, the breakwater tunnel, stormwater tunnels and all sorts of service tunnels to supply the ships with fuel and water.

Comments: Visit by appointment only. Bring your Helmet. 

 

The Simonsberg Silver Mine 1743

 

The Simons berg Silver Mine 1743

Although the site has been abandoned for more than 250 years, the Simons berg silver mine remains intact, and on the farm Goede Hoop, in the Banghoek Valley, one can still see the ruins of various structures that are believed to have once been part of that mining operation.

Muller, who was appointed the company’s master miner, or "Bergmeester" subsequently set about securing a mining right, procuring the necessary equipment and hiring soldiers, sailors and some slaves in view of the complete lack of actual miners’ resident at the Cape of Good Hope. With all preparations complete in 1743, the company began the arduous task of digging long tunnels into the side of the Simons berg at different levels and sinking shafts measuring between 50 ft and 100 ft to connect those tunnels.

For the next several years, ‘mining’ activities continued largely unabated on the Simons berg but, rather suspiciously, there was nothing to show for such efforts. However, Muller continued to demand more capital to finance his mining operation, assuring the company’s investors that rich veins of silver and, later, copper and even gold, lay just ahead of their current workings. Inevitably, the company directors became suspicious of Mullers’ failure to provide any results so they ordered a sample of ore from the mine to be sent to Amsterdam for analysis. When the assay revealed that there was no silver, copper or gold content in that rock, Muller was exposed for the fraud he was.

Having given the project its support, the Dutch East India Company was particularly embarrassed by the exposure of the scam and, as fitting punishment, the company officials banished Muller to the Dutch colony of Batavia, in the East.

This particular episode is perhaps one of the earliest incidents of white-collar crime in South Africa.

Comment: This is a full day outing and hike suitable for hiking groups from 1 to 10 people.

Bring your Torches, Water and a sense of Adventure. There is the optional visit to do a picnic on the lawns of the Boschendal Estate or some lazy afternoon Wine Tasting in the surrounding area.

An Underground River and Cave on top of Table Mountain

 An Underground River and Cave on top of Table Mountain

Have you ever wondered about Tunnels - man made or natural? They are right on top of Table Mountain. 

 

But there is another hidden gem. An Underground River that has nearly dried up with lots of historic rock art. If you are keen to explore it's an easy and gentle short hike. But it is best to go in a group and with a guide. 

 

It is a two-hour hike from the upper Cable Station. An easy walk that anyone can do. Please bring your torch. There is also a Tunnel for the real adventure guys to crawl through. You might get a little wet and dirty, but it's great fun to pop out on the other side with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Booking well in advance is essential. Remember: No hiking when there is cloud cover. This is suitable for a group size from 1 to 12 people. 

 

Some Top of The Mountain History…

 

The Woodhead Dam was completed in 1897. It was one of the first dams to be built in the country. It is still in service and provides water to Camps Bay and the high-lying areas of the City Bowl.

The water supply was augmented by the Hely-Hutchinson Dam which was completed seven years after Woodhead Dam opened. It was built upstream from Woodhead Dam and is also situated on Table Mountain’s Disa River. Both have masonry dam walls constructed of sandstone blocks which were carved 

out of the mountain by stonemasons. A small railway line and a cable car

connecting the top of Kasteelspoort to Camps Bay were constructed to assist with the dams’ construction. A small waterworks museum, which includes the original locomotive, is located next to the dams.

 

Water from these two dams is treated at the Kloofnek Water Treatment Plant. The water takes an interesting route to get there. First, it is released into the Disa River Gorge where it flows as a small river towards Hout Bay. Closer to Hout Bay, the water is fed through the 700 metre Woodhead Tunnel that runs 

through the Twelve Apostles mountains to the Camps Bay side. From there it is piped into cast iron pipes that run along the popular Pipe Track hiking trail to the Kloofnek Treatment Works.

A Door in the Mountains Elandsberg Water Seepage Tunnel

                                        A Door in the Mountains

Elandsberg Water Seepage Tunnel

The structure was completed on the 6^th August 1991 and is a true replica of the unique underground tunnel that delivers pure drinking water to the community.

The first phase of 86 meters was built during 1910 and was lengthened by 66 meters during 1941. It was built using mainly manual labour.

The antique crane was used to remove excess material from the excavation site. The seepage tunnel was excavated under the riverbed and the water level there is approximately 4 to 4.8 meters under the surface of the ground.

                                                  

                             

1939 The Apostle Battery Bomb Shelters and Tunnels

1939 The Apostle Battery Bomb Shelters and Tunnels

Discover the hidden secrets under and above an abandoned WWII Military Base in Llandudno.
The Year 1942 and the Cape is under enemy attack by lurking German U Boats. A network of Big Guns, Underground Operation Rooms, SSS Radar Stations and Ammunition magazines have been built to defend the Cape.
Allow 1,5 hours for this exclusive private or scheduled Tour that will leave you blasted by the past.
Please bring a small handheld torch and a sense for adventure.
Due to the underground nature this tunnel complex has accessibility limitations making them unsuitable for people with disabilities.
Bookings must be made well in advance and there are no ‘pay at the door’ facilities. No casual visitors will be allowed.

The Apostle Battery was built as one of a string of similar structures that was constructed as, or adapted for defense of the Cape from attack by sea during WWII. The defensive line extended from Saldanha in the north to Betty’s Bay in the east, and comprised a combination of gun batteries and radar stations. A concentration of these features was clustered in and around Cape Town. Construction of the earliest features of Apostle Battery began in November 1939, with the erection of some of the buildings, including sleeping quarters, and two of the 9.2-inch gun emplacements. From October 1940, the site was manned, and, until 4 December, coast and anti-aircraft training for recruits was conducted at the battery. From December, the personnel were transferred to the Docks Battery, the training center stopped functioning, and the battery fell to the management of the Care and Maintenance division. In 1941, the battery was re manned, and new guns were installed, after the Government of the Union of South Africa acquired erven 1434, 1432 and portion 1 of Cape Farm 902. Two 6-inch MK XIX field guns were mounted as counter bombardment measures, and in August of 1942, a 9.2-inch MK field gun was moved to the battery from Lion Battery. In October 1943, the installation of a 9.2-inch MK X (No. 2 gun) rendered the 6-inch guns obsolete, and they were removed. By December 1943, all guns were managed by Care and Maintenance, and the Battery was unmanned and no longer operational. In January 1944, Fortress instruments were installed at the Battery, although these were never used. The Lion Battery gun was replaced with another 9.2-inch gun in late 1944, but the battery was closed on 17 December 1944, and care of the site fell to the Care and Maintenance division. A final, third MK gun was installed higher up the slopes in 1945, after the British Ports Defense Committee resolved that 9.2-inch and 6-inch batteries should have at least three guns. A significant feature of the military history of the site is the involvement of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Services (WAAS) with training there. Artillery Specialists WAAS arrived at Apostle Battery in September 1942, after receiving training at Simons town. They were initially trained as range-takers for the gun batteries, and despite initial skepticism at their ability to do the work, their training later expanded to include signaling, close defense work, searchlight operation and radar. Women were on site until late September 1945, by which time all had been moved to other units, or had left the service. The women’s barracks were demolished after a mountain fire, and the demolished foundations remain visible. 

The Underground bomb proof shelters and Tunnels are of remarkable engineering and create an puzzling Underground Maze.