A quick hike on the Wildside

Port Elizabeth has a number of excellent hiking trails to get one out the city while only a couple of kilometers away from it.  I've been exploring the Fynbos Trail at Schoenmakerskop a bit more lately and got to walk most of it the other day.  Not a trail I'd like to do on a hot day as there isn't any shade along the way, but there are beautiful coastal views and lots of Fynbos and coastal flora to be seen.

Bridge series #6 - N2 over Swartkops

This is the last of the posts in the bridges of Port Elizabeth series.  It shows the N2 where it crosses over the Swartkops River at Amsterdamhoek just before Bluewater Bay.  Very busy on top, nice and peaceful underneath.

Bridge series #5 - Railway over Swartkops

This is post #5 in the series about bridges around Port Elizabeth.  There are several bridges across the Swartkops River with the oldest road bridge in use being the Wylde Bridge at Swartkops which was built in 1879.  The road bridge is a one lane bridge that is regulated with a traffic light.  This is the railway bridge right next to the road bridge.  Looks very similar to the Mackay Bridge in Colchester, doesn't it?

Bridge series #4 - Brickmakerskloof bridge

Every couple of years Port Elizabeth tends to be hit by a flash flood which ends up causing more damage than the inhabitants of the city cares for.  In 2006 we had a biggy and in the process a couple of bridges on the Baakens River washed away, one of them being at the bottom of Brickmakerskloof.  The investigation on how best to replace the bridge along with a full on Environmental Impact Assessment took many many months.  Eventually construction started in 2009 with the new bridge opening on 1 June 2010.  The bridge structure measures 33m in length and is 18m wide with 4 lanes across.  Right next to the bridge you can also find the building where Bridge Street Brewery is situated and this picture was taken from next to their outside seating area. 

Bridge series #3 - Van Stadens Bridge

This is post #3 in the Port Elizabeth bridge series.  The city's most imposing and best know bridge is the Van Stadens Bridge 35 km west of  the city and also situated on the western boundary of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.  The 125 meter high, 340 meter long bridge was completed in 1971 and is the first of a serious of large arch bridges between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay.  The others are the Storms River Bridge, Bloukrans Bridge, Groot River Bridge and Bobbejaan River Bridge, all in the Tsitsikamma. 

Bridge series #2 - N2 over Sundays River

This is post #2 in the Port Elizabeth bridges series.  Cars approaching Port Elizabeth on the busy N2 from the east fly across the bridge over the Sundays River with only a quick glance towards the river.  I often wonder how many don't even see it while I'm sure most don't know of the historic Mackay Bridge only a couple of hundred meters upstream.  With the increase of traffic on the N2 the road from Port Elizabeth to Colchester has been turned into a double lane highway over the last few years.  Because of this an additional bridge has been built over the river.  The one on the left in the picture is the new bridge while the other is the older one.  The new one has been built slightly higher than the other (please don't ask me why) and they are currently in the process of lifting the old one (don't ask me this either) with a hydraulic system to the same height. 

Bridge series #1 - Mackay Bridge

Port Elizabeth isn't famous for it's bridges but it does have a couple of notable ones.  Some historic, one imposing and a couple that are often used.  I collected pictures of a few of them and decided to put together a series showing you six bridges from around the city. 

 

I'm starting with one of my favourite bridges, the historic Mackay Bridge in Colchester.  During the mid 1800's this specific spot was quite a popular one with travellers as it had the only pont over the Sundays River and it cut down on the travel time not having to go via the drift in Addo.  The original pont was washed away in 1874 and a second one in 1875.   It 1884 it was decided to build a bridge across the river which opened in 1895.  This bridge was constructed entirely of steel and iron brought from Sheffield in England and was named after John Mackay who's efforts resulted in its construction.  The elements unfortunately has taken its toll on the bridge and it's been closed to traffic still accessible on foot.

Cannon muzzle

The muzzle of the Sacramento Cannon, pointing towards to wreck site where the Portugese ship Sacramento sank in 1647

Jetties on the Sundays River

The Sundays River is quite a popular recreational playground with everything from water ski to just leisurely sitting with a fishing line in the water.  Most of the houses on the riverside (and some of those that isn't) have their own jetties with some of them having been there for decades already.

Coega wind turbine

Port Elizabeth gets it's fair share of wind and that is where the Windy City tag line comes from.  Not many are big fans of wind but the wind does have its good points as well.  The first being the fact that it keeps our air clean and blows the air pollutions away.  Recently wind turbines have started to go up around the city and I'm surprised that it has taken this long for it to happen.  The first one was put up at Coega and since construction has started on wind farms at Blue Horizon Bay, Jeffrey's Bay, Cookhouse and now also Motherwell.  The one at Coega is still standing there by his lonesome self and I decided to go and have a closer look.  It is HUUUUGGGGGEEEEE, standing 95m tall with a rotor blade radius of 49m.  That's my car standing to the left of it and Damselfly and Chaos Boy is newt to invisible by the door at the base.