The Old Harbour -the birthplace of our town

The Old Harbour -the birthplace of our town. I guess most of us see the Old Harbour quite regularly and it is easy to forget how vital it was to the future of the town. I thought that a few images would be in order, as the Harbour enters its 165th year.

Probably taken in the 1920s. This would be the first boat to reach the Harbour. This was a good thing as the first sales of fresh fish commanded higher prices. However, there were no men from crews that had landed before you and your eight had to carry the boat up the beach alone. Usually, this was a task for 16 men.

All hands on deck - fishing in Hermanus was a fairly friendly occupation, collaboration with competition

A cave in the rocks above the Old Harbour believed to be the shelter of one of the last of the strandloopers, ou Jan.

One of the few images that show work being done on the Ol Harbour. It probably dates from the 1890s.In the right foreground, a home-made railway track has been built to carry away the rocks removed when widening the inlet. This work is being done by a number of men, with various pieces of equipment The boats are drawn up wek\ll clear of the water. The structures behind the boats are the offices of the early 'fish merchants'.' McFarlane, Allengensky and Melnick. They bought t… See More

This is the Harbour in the late 1930s. It is much more developed and orderly, with retaining walls of stone The steps up to the Market Square are visible. In the middle and right foreground, there are figures dressed in white. They are residents and employees of hotels that have come to buy fresh fish for dinner.