Struisbaai

Struisbaai
Struisbaai
	Struisbaai Location in the Western Cape
	Struisbaai
	Coordinates: 34°48′16″S 20°03′27″E / 34.80444°S 20.0575°ECoordinates: 34°48′16″S 20°03′27″E / 34.80444°S 20.0575°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Overberg
Municipality	Cape Agulhas
	Area
• Total	14.11 km2 (5.45 sq mi)
	Population (2001)
• Total	2,780
• Density	197/km2 (510/sq mi)
	Racial makeup (2001)
• Black African	3.8%
• Coloured	53.8%
• White	42.4%
	First languages (2001)
• Afrikaans	90.7%
• English	6.3%
• Xhosa	2.5%
• Other	0.5%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

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Struisbaai is a coastal settlement in the Overberg region of South Africa's Western Cape province. The town is two hours South from Cape Town in the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality within the Overberg District, and four kilometers from the southernmost point of the African continent at Cape Agulhas.

The town is an old fishing village which for many years sported a beautiful natural harbour. Some development has taken place since then but Struisbaai is still relatively untouched by the rigours of over-development. Many fishermen still reside in this settlement but it is now known better for its leisure activities, which include fishing, horseriding, hiking, paintball, quadbiking and diving.

Struisbaai also hosts the anual Geelstertfees (Yellowtail festival) revolving around foodstalls, artists and musical performers. Visitors can walk around the harbour and see the traditional fishermen bringing home their catch and buy fresh fish.

There is some debate as to the origin of the name "Struisbaai". Some authorities believe that it means "straw bay", referring to the thatch roofs of the fishermen’s cottages here. Others claim the name is derived from the Dutch "struisvogel"/ Afrikaans "volstruis" - which translates as ostrich in English, apparently many of the local farmers kept these birds on their farms. According to legend however, Struisbaai is named for the size of its beach - an old Dutch word for "huge" which would not be surprising since Struisbaai does sport the longest natural beach in the Southern Hemisphere which stretches for a total of 14 kilometers.