A tour of DWARSKERSBOS, South Africa - Blooming Streets and Rich History!

Hi everyone! In this video, I explore the beautiful, tranquil town of Dwarskersbos, situated in the Western Cape of South Africa. Dwarskersbos is a holiday destination and fishing village approximately 11 kilometres north of Laaiplek and less than two hours drive from Cape Town. It also forms part of the iconic West Coast, in my view one of the best areas of South Africa - but then again, I would be biased as someone who grew up in Lambert's Bay!
The vlog starts off with me driving towards the town, before spotting the welcome sign. I immediately notice a trend with the side streets that are named after flowers. I decide to walk down some of the streets (which are also all cul-de-saqs) as well as the various entrances to the beach.
I admire the distinct flora and beautiful nature in the area. Rumour has it that Dwarskersbos forms part of the longest uninterrupted sandy beach in South Africa - a sight to behold!
Dwarskersbos is also situated in the area where the famous Portuguese sailor and navigator, Vasco da Gama, first set foot on South African soil in search of water in November 1497. Nearby Paternoster is also the site where the first "Pater Noster" (Latin for the prayer "Our Father") was prayed. So lots of history in the area!
Throughout the vlog, I mention the book written by Johnnie Eigelaar, namely "As die Skipper op die voorstewe staan!" (first edition & print 1999). The first chapter contains details of Eigelaar's experience in Dwarskersbos, where he grew up, as well as noteworthy details about the history of the town. This book gives us a flavour of what life was like in the 1920s and 1930s around the area, in contrast to modern times. The book also tells wonderful stories about the individuals involved at the time in various aspects of life, and helps to bring that period to life.
After visiting a few streets and beaches, I visit the area near Soverby Lapa, where I talk about transport limitations in the area during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the natural disasters of 1969 in the Western Cape. It has never been confirmed, but some people claim there may be a connection between the storm surge in Dwarskersbos and the earthquake near Tulbach and Ceres.
I decide it is time for lunch and a coffee at Soverby Lapa, which is also situated in a prominent fishing area that attracts thousands of visitors to Dwarskersbos every year. The menu also contains more about the local history as well as the meaning behind the town's name! Currency converter: 1 British Pound = c. R23.85
I return to Dwarskersbos town and explore more streets, as well as the area around the private school, business center and mini mart (or mini mark). I also stumble upon a beer garden, a residential complex and an area that is seemingly part of a farm, before walking to the caravan park and more nearby beaches. Though there are pockets of activity, most of the businesses and shops are closed, as this vlog was filmed on a Sunday. Not that I am complaining - in a way, the silence makes the Sunday stroll in the town even more tranquil!
I hope you enjoy this tour of Dwarskersbos on the West Coast of South Africa. If you haven't done it yet, please hit the LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE to the channel and leave a COMMENT for me in the comments section. This really helps to promote and build the channel and it is free to do so - you would really help me out big time with these small acts of kindness and will continue to help me create content for you, to watch for free!
I also mention my vlog I did in nearby Aurora, which you can view here: • AURORA, South Africa: ...
And this is the collab I did with another content creator (No Soy Ribio) that I mention in the mini mark: • Brit and South African...
Disclaimer - Please note that I have not been sponsored by anyone in the production of this video.
Happy exploring!
Willie

[@stefwessels955]

I spent my whole childhood in Dwarskersbos. My father was the headmaster of the primary school in the 80's. 40 kids from grade 1 to 7. Only 3 teachers. 😂 They still live there and I visit whenever I can get out of cape town. I appreciate the place so much more now. Thanks for the video🙏

[@willieexplore]

Thanks for sharing your memories of this beautiful town, Stef! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@garethwright899]

Awesome, bought a house there on the northern end of DKB in 2021, at the end of this month we are moving there permanently, my happy place 😀

[@willieexplore]

Nice one Gareth, I'm sure you will make a lot of memories in Dwarskersbos! A wonderful part of the world. Cheers for the support!

[@colinvanrensburg4652]

I moved to Dwarsies a year or so ago - absolute bliss!! Peace and quiet!

[@willieexplore]

I bet it is a great place to live, Colin! Thanks for watching and supporting my channel

[@colinvanrensburg4652]

@@willieexplore Did you see the streets in the old part of the Metro are also alphabetically named. It took me a while to work that out...

[@ratel8598]

Love your raw and very real content! Always so informative and interesting without the need for music or fancy editing.

[@willieexplore]

Glad you enjoy it and thank you for the kind words! Yes, I like to keep it as raw as possible to showcase the places in an authentic way. I guess some people would prefer fancy editing, music and a different presentation style, but there are plenty of other videos for them to watch. Appreciate your support!

[@jaspervanzyl6212]

Again a winner, Willie! Thanks for taking us along on your travels. Dwarskersbos is a special place indeed.

[@willieexplore]

Appreciate the kind words and your unwavering support, Jasper! Always a pleasure taking you on some virtual travels. Keep safe!

[@errol-zs1aci]

Dankie weereens, Willie. Ek het die stap saam met jou geniet. Ons sal beslis 'n draai daar moet maak.❤

[@willieexplore]

Hallo Errol, dankie vir die saamkyk! Karoo en Weskus altwee baie spesiaal. Groete!

[@doloresnelissen1346]

Our Municipality works for the community, no crime. We take care of the poor and needy.

[@willieexplore]

That is great to hear! Keep up the good work!

[@karenodendaal7650]

Willie, dankie vir die puik stukkie werk oor Dwarslersbos. Jy verwys na Slaai Thiart uit Johnny Eigelaar se boek. Slaai Thiart was my Oupa. Dwarskersbos het n pragtige geskiedenis.

[@willieexplore]

Hallo Karen, dankie vir jou boodskap en dat jy my video gekyk het! Jou oupa het 'n noemenswaardige bydrae gelewer tot Dwarskersbos, daaroor is daar geen twyfel nie. Groete!

[@ellieengel2188]

wow so calm...endless beaches with no people..stunning beauty..id love to live there

[@willieexplore]

Indeed Ellie! Time stands still there! Thanks for watching :)

[@toscabrutus1781]

Willie Jy het n nuwe SA program dis baie exciting! Groete Lima!

[@willieexplore]

Hallo Tosca! Altyd lekker om van jou te hoor. Suid-Afrika het mooi plekke. Hoop dit gaan goed daar in Suid-Amerika!

[@Weiseorgelspieler]

Servus Willie, dit is baie lekker om jy terug in Suid Afrika te sien! Besten Dank für die schönen Eindrücke und viele Grüße!

[@willieexplore]

Vielen dank, Franz! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope all is well on your side :)

[@AZqyc]

Willie, great to see you back and walking and sharing your knowledge!! Didn't have time tonight to view all, but I'll be back! Got to that neat first restaurant. What nice views, nice menu, good prices! Just the kind of experience that makes you famous, Mr WE!! [Again, greetings from Tucson]

[@willieexplore]

Always a pleasure, Jim! Hope all is good on your side. I'm having a great time visiting family and friends, albeit on a brief trip. Really enjoyed the restaurant. All the best!

[@sheilam4525]

Hi Willie! Enjoyed seeing and learning about another beautiful town in SA😊. This one seemed very different with the wide cul de sacs and all the beach paths. Always like to see the artwork people have made😊 Loved the memorial to the cat❤. Hope you are enjoying the time with your family!

[@willieexplore]

Hi Sheila! Always great to hear from you. I'm having a great (albeit short) time in SA and it is great to see family and friends. The weather in SA is almost on par to that of the UK this time of the year :) Nonetheless, I really enjoyed my visit to Dwarskersbos and I'm glad you found it interesting. This is a really special part of the world for me as I grew up not too far from here. The cat memorial was very special. Hope your week is going well!

[@OdenvanderWesthuizen]

Dankie Willie. Dwarskersbos is 'n wonderlike plek met 'n baie interessante geskiedenis. Daar bly nou nog familie van my en ons het vir meer as 40 jaar elke Desember vakansie daar gekamp. Die beste weer in die Weskus.

[@willieexplore]

Jy is baie welkom, Oden! Waardeer die saamkyk en ondersteuning. Dit was my eerste keer in Dwarskersbos maar ek kan sien hoekom mense die plek wil besoek of hulself daar wil vestig. Groete

[@thomasdonker1055]

It's lekker to see you back in the Cape, opening my eyes to places I've never heard of, Willie. I do hope you do the Gordon's Bay - Rooi Els - Betty's Bay - Kleinmond - Hermanus route. Would love to hear your commentary on that. Daars hy...

[@willieexplore]

Cheers Thomas, thanks for the kind words and encouragement! The plan is to do a massive SA trip in 2025, when I will take a sabbatical from work. So watch this space! I know that suggested coastal route very well as I went to school in Hermanus and university in Stellenbosch. So I've driven it a fair few times but not in a long time. So, it would be very interesting to do it again after several years! Really appreciate your support!

[@user-nd8vn6fm8j]

Thank you Willie, so interesting and inciteful. SA has so many interesting and historical places and such a pleasure to get to know some of them through your travels

[@willieexplore]

Really appreciate your kind words! There are definitely some wonderful places to visit in South Africa. Thanks for tagging along!

[@martynarmitage2928]

hey willie very informative . i.ve travelled that road through dwarskerbos many times from lamberts to cape town and never stopped, next time we will, great work

[@willieexplore]

Hi Martyn, hope all is well on your side! Yep, same here. I think we might have stopped once for a soft drink many years ago, but certainly no "explore". Worth a visit next time you're in the area. Send regards!

[@martynarmitage2928]

@@willieexplore will do willie , rene sends regards

[@willieexplore]

@@martynarmitage2928 Weskus groete!

[@sherryhendricks7864]

Oh my word I love this ek trek somer nou Baie dankie ne ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦my great grandmother was from st Helena Bay 🙏🏼

[@willieexplore]

Lekker om van jou te hoor, Sherry! A beautiful part of the world for sure!

[@lydiajohnson4467]

Thank you. Beautiful parts of our country we have seen or been to. Love this program. 😊

[@willieexplore]

Your comment brought a smile to my face, Lydia! Thank you so much for your support!

[@andybaker2456]

Welcome back Willie! What a shame about the weather, I'm sure this is a completely different place on a bustling, sunny summer's day. Thanks for showing us a part of the world that many of us are probably unfamiliar with. 😊

[@willieexplore]

Nice to hear from you, Andy! A former work colleague of mine used to say that there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Many people visit the West Coast during summer but it does have a tranquil appeal during winter months too. I'm glad the rain stayed away for most part. Appreciate your continued support and encouragement!

[@HanlieMyburgh-bn8yb]

Copies of the Eigelaar’s book is available at Ahter’s Studio in Laaiplek (next to Laaiplek Hotel in Jameson street)

[@willieexplore]

Thank you, Hanlie! I really enjoyed reading his story

[@valeriecooper3545]

So much beauty on this side of the country...thanks for sharing 😊😅😮

[@willieexplore]

Definitely Valerie! The West Coast is incredible :)

[@hanneliewiese3477]

Loved it Willie - thank you very much. What a special little coastal town.

[@willieexplore]

Glad you enjoyed it Hannelie! And thank you for your kind words - it certainly is a great place to visit.

[@mariwolmarans4973]

Dit het ek nou baie enjoy, Thanx Willie

[@willieexplore]

Baie dankie, Mari! Ek waardeer jou aanmoediging en ondersteuning vir my kanaal!

[@travel_and_explore_with_BIP]

WOWWW Nice to see you back travelling Willie! Specially in SA , what a nice part of the world! How different from the areas I saw when I was in SA. I can imagine how nice it must be there on a sunny day! What’s the load shedding like there? Do you prefer the west coast to the east coast? Please make many more of these videos from SA, these are not places ordinarily people will get to see! Cheers 🍺🍺

[@willieexplore]

Hi Bip! Lovely to hear from you, as always! Hope all is well. Yes, I am in South Africa but only for a brief time. I am visiting family in the area so I thought I'd make a vlog about this beautiful town. As for loadshedding, I haven't experienced any on this particular trip, so fingers crossed for the future! I've not been to many places on the East Coast, and I will always have a soft spot for the West Coast, but I'm planning a huge trip in SA in 2025 when I'm taking some time off work. So I'll definitely be in a position to show more places off the beaten track. Have a good one! Willie

[@bobovanzyl3008]

Pragtige deel van ons land! Mooi mooi mense.

[@willieexplore]

Dis verseker! Dankie vir die saamkyk!

[@phillipleboa5251]

Pragtig. ❤❤❤

[@willieexplore]

Baie dankie, ek waardeer dit!

[@mayousimon1]

He's back! Very excited awesome video once again thank you for your wonderful time regarding efforts to put these videos together and show others what to view and what happened to Willie travelling?

[@willieexplore]

Nice to hear from you Simon! I am visiting family in South Africa on a short trip, but planning a big trip on my sabbatical from work. So lots of travelling coming shortly. Hope all is well with you!

[@mayousimon1]

​​@@willieexplore sad video at the especially moment about the cat very peaceful but relaxing but Willie you still travelling?

[@DerekRoos-fq5sp]

Willie Derek hier...was saam met jou op Varsity!

[@willieexplore]

My jinne Derek, ek onthou jou goed! Dis nou 'n lekker verrassing! Wat maak jy deesdae?

[@DerekRoos-fq5sp]

Werk maar...kids hou ons besig, bly op die golfbaan en verder geniet ons die rustige lewe hier. Is die channel jou voltydse ding? Baie nice...

[@willieexplore]

@@DerekRoos-fq5sp dis wonderlik! Ek werk voltyds en bly in die UK, die vlogging is net 'n stokpertjie. Maar ek vat in Oktober 'n jaar af by die werk om meer videos te maak, ook in Suid-Afrika. Ek sal waarskynlik daar in Mbaai ook 'n draai maak dan, sal jou op hoogte hou!

[@DerekRoos-fq5sp]

Klink soos n plan...sterkte!

[@anettevanderwesthuizen5180]

Hi Willie👋Thank you for your interesting video of our little town Dwarskersbos . 👌But you did not show the caravanpark,library and the new white houses of kersbosstrand a km away to Elandsbay. Please make another video showing our beautiful white houses with high A-frame roofs. Your video is great.

[@willieexplore]

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement, Anette! Much appreciated. I'm sure I missed a number of things, but with limited time that was always going to be the case. Is there a different caravan park to the one I tried to enter, but with no one present at the entrance? Hopefully one day I can return to the beautiful town and show more.

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

Mooi man!

[@willieexplore]

Daarsy Petra! Dankie vir die saamkyk en kommentaar!

[@sherryhendricks7864]

I love the blommiejie straate 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭🇨🇭

[@willieexplore]

Oh yes! Same here!

[@askermand123]

Dankie Willie vir die awesome videos. Eks n groot fan. I'm from the most boring town in the West Coast, Vredenburg. There's literally no content about the history of this town. 😅

[@willieexplore]

Baie dankie! Ek is bly jy geniet my videos. I have family who lived in Vredenburg and Saldanha for a long time, so I know the area relatively well. Hopefully I can one day make a video about those places too!

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

There is a caravan park as well.

[@willieexplore]

Yes indeed, it is a pity that I could not go in that day

[@bennyh6832]

Great show , nice to know something i dont know. Places we dont go to.

[@willieexplore]

You are most welcome! And thank you for engaging and supporting my channel!

[@no_soy_rubio]

Looks like a super chilled place back in your native SA mate! Although the weather is looking decidedly English! 😂

[@willieexplore]

Cheers mate! Haha yes an English weather day, for sure :) Keep on rocking in North America mate!

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

That delapedated house is a typical fisherman's house. Original buildings of Velddrif ,Laaiplek and Dwarskersbos.

[@willieexplore]

That is interesting - thanks for letting us know!

[@seamus9750]

Great to see a lack off electric fences

[@willieexplore]

Absolutely. Hopefully insightful for some overseas viewers too, to show them we don't all live in gated communities!

[@evenandmiriam3550]

Ons kyk na jou pragtige blog hier uit die Golan Hoogte in Israel - Veels geluk Shalom

[@willieexplore]

Hallo Even en Miriam! Dankie dat julle my kanaal ondersteun en my videos kyk, ek waardeer dit!

[@goodbarbenie5477]

No potholes crumbs theres gotta be progress in that little dorp..😊😅😂.

[@willieexplore]

Thanks for watching!

[@DerekRoos-fq5sp]

In Mbaai...bky hier. Dat ons mekaar op KZbin raakloop!!!

[@willieexplore]

Ongelooflik!

[@jamiewentink243]

we are from Kranspoort Vakansi Dorp Mpumalanga. we have recently bought a stand in Laaiplek and will start building around End June. Thank you for the informative video we cant wait to move.

[@willieexplore]

Hi Jamie, thanks for your positive feedback and I hope the move goes well! All the best

[@LynetteGerber]

You should not have skipped Iris Str, from their Cul de sac you step right onto the beach.

[@willieexplore]

Hi Lynette, I'm sure I missed a few gems in this beautiful town. Enough reason to visit again at some point. Thanks for watching and supporting my channel!

[@danielrademeyer390]

Baie oulike dorpie. Waar gaan jy volgende in die buiteland?

[@willieexplore]

Hi Daniel, lekker om van jou te hoor. Ek het 'n paar opsies wat ek ondersoek, maar nog geen finale besluit nie. Is jou sak al gepak vir Georgia?

[@danielrademeyer390]

@@willieexplore Nee, ek spaar nog op vir hom!

[@willieexplore]

@@danielrademeyer390 jy sal nie spyt wees nie

[@Johan-wi8ig]

Kalkoentje is ñ vetplant 🌵

[@willieexplore]

Dankie Johan, my plante-kennis het die hoogte ingeskiet na hierdie besoek! Waardeer die saamkyk

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

Tannie Bettie se mini Mark.

[@willieexplore]

'n Lekker winkel!

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

Ons het die boek! Daar is nog n boek met die geskiedenis van Velddrif met die die Naam van Velddrif se stories deur tannie Lokkie van Zyl. Sy lewe nog oor die 80 Jaar oud.

[@willieexplore]

Ek het tannie Lokkie se boek ook onlangs gelees, Petra. Sy het uitstekende werk gedoen. Terloops, ek behoort more in Bokkomlaan rond te loop, laat weet per epos as jy wil koffie gaan drink! Groete

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

Ek Gaan more Bokkomlaan toe. Sal vir jou aan die bokkommanne bekendstel.

[@willieexplore]

@@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj dit sal great wees! dankie!

[@PetraMyburgh-vr1kj]

Reservoirs and no electricity.

[@willieexplore]

I've not had any loadshedding during my visit so far, let's hope it continues that way!

[@goodbarbenie5477]

Ahem.. For R50 I maka my own Chutney 12 to 15 bottles at a time for less. Outta Mangoes... Haha hows that for size...😊😅😂.

[@willieexplore]

Well done!

[@bevieayson6761]

CAPTIONS INCORRECTLY DESCRIBED. NOT NICE AT ALL.

[@willieexplore]

Please explain yourself

[@jacogrobler6457]

Looks a bit depressing to be quite honest. Horses for courses I guess.

[@willieexplore]

Thanks for watching and supporting my channel!