A tour of WITSAND, South Africa – Where Breede River meets Indian Ocean!

A tour of WITSAND, South Africa – Where Breede River meets Indian Ocean!

hello everyone is this where you live the barrier nephew’s wool shed thanks for welcoming me here to Vatson check this out the beautiful Indian Ocean this feels like I’ve got a front row seat in one of nature’s most beautiful movies it’s not every day you see a road sign like this some of the residents crossing the street here you’ve got the beach the sand there you’ve got the Bria River estie you’ve got hills and mountains you’ve got plants you’ve got farms in the area and as we’ll learn more about in due course it is a town that is not afraid to dip its toe in the waters of technological progress let’s get out of the wind for a bit and go and explore more of Vins i mean Vitant there’s Cape Town and Vitant is over there before we explore more of beautiful Vitzant just my usual plea please hit the like and subscribe buttons if you haven’t already there only about 500 to 600 people in the town and I believe in December at its peak the population can be around 6 to 7,000 a winter or a late autumn road trip in South Africa along the south coast the beauty of that is that I’ve got the town practically to myself that’s it that’s it in the year 1851 the British authorities gave a farm known as Westfield to a certain Captain Benjamin Moody and that is the land on which Vit stands today this is the town entrance welcome to Vets vets means white sand and the town’s name was already in full use in 1867 capturing the essence of a place and fast forward a few decades by the late 1800s the Moody family was inviting locals from Hadelber no not the antelopes and the tortoises but other humans other people to the area to escape to the coast for holidays vitsant has a special geography this is where the Bria River runs into the Indian Ocean and it’s also where farmland meets ocean farm animals and whales southern right whales in the same area first impressions of its son is I have definitely got a farm field look at all the tractors and yet the river mouth and the Indian Ocean is just on that side vant is not a million miles away from Swelland you’ll also come across the name Joseph Barry in Vitson as we did in Swell and Dam hello Yellow i’ve got some new fans here i’m not entirely sure what to do do I give him a hug do I give him a bit of a pet i am just here at the barrier nephew’s wool shed of course a barrier nephew’s business empire we learned about that in Swall and Dum and here’s another part of their footprint in the area in the 19th century yeah they are following me everywhere gosh are you happy to see me yeah Barry and Nephews they were certainly big in this part of the world just showing you more of a building here on the outside you can see there 1848 the one almost looks like a Zbear right here you go some history barry and Nephew’s wool shed you see the building was completed in 1848 and until 2007 the wool shed was used for farming purposes by the current owners who are direct descendants of Joseph Barry and you can read more about Joseph Barry there as well are you actually going to show me around what are you going to show me gosh look at this they are absolutely intrigued by either my GoPro or the jacket I’m wearing not sure anyways let’s go in here coffee and clits so yeah the old wool set but it’s now a coffee shop and wow look at that barista coffee rister cook some classic South African produce let’s check out the gift shop here see what we can find it’s not Christmas but every time is shopping time isn’t it you definitely have a farm shed feel here with all the produce and all the trinkets bits and bobs look at that mukle they are tired of struggling yeah I could browse here for hours lots of interesting trinkets check this dog having a good time it seems like Freda Carlo is everywhere where I travel she’s here in Vitzant as well here you go meal brooker wow look at this so shorts made from some old bags various marks for all the rugby fans but where’s the Greek was one no that son come on plc cloth so farm town tablecloth with a pro tier look at the netted teletubbies and Star Wars characters there’s the minions my doctor says I need glasses glasses of wine every time I lose weight I find it in the fridge again oh well there’s an interesting message so I’m not fat my voluupuous sexiness it just overflows now we’re talking for the people with a sweet tooth look at all the biscuits the cookies and you’ve got peach halves you’ve got green fig preserve various dried fruits and various rusks for sale as well byeiscate breakfast rusks good variety here as well how’s this beauty and the bee some bee products oh more stuff for sale here this is very interesting look at all the beautiful frames there more portraits of a Bria River this is definitely Bria River country and over there as well I can see an interesting map marine casualties in southern African waters sometimes we forget what a dangerous occupation it is to navigate the waters some people who caught a big one over the years look at that this one Vitzon Black Marlin vitzon of course great for fishing come and pick up a fishing rod and hit the waters yeah very nice touch here in Vitzant even got some swings for the kids all for the adults and my friends are back did you miss me yes I missed you too i can’t say I’ve got lots of things to film i’ve got so much exploring to do but thanks for showing me your town all right cheers everyone no you don’t have to come with me i’ve got a lot of things to do i’ve just come down here to the river check it out the Bria River the Eststerie and in fact Bria River Lodge tells us exactly where we are as well let’s go down here i speak on a correction but I believe a Bria River which literally means wide river has the widest river mouth in South Africa you can see there there it enters the Indian Ocean interestingly or even bizarrely for a town next to a river Vitzan traditionally had a problem with drinking water especially in December months when the population skyrockets so in 2018 Vitzant adopted a really interesting technological solution they built a desalination plant but not just any desalination plant one that runs on solar energy so that gives you an idea of Vitson as an innovative town and also on the technological front Vitson is well known as a town that embraces Bitcoin well at least some of the businesses and people here i know it can be a pretty interesting topic let’s go inside looks really nice i get the feeling that Vitan as a community is very proud about the fish they’ve caught over the years look there Dorothy Herald she caught a big one on El’s Head in 1954 val Barry Morut 1972 and yeah over there as well mut i love these old tablecloths can you guess where they from you can see there Bitcoin VitSon it’s a community-driven initiative encouraging dialogue spreading awareness and sharing insights on hedging against irresponsible monetary policy right everyone I stopped for a coffee and a chat here at Sparsi Restaurant you can see there’s my cappuccino you got a little fire burning of course Viton famous for its Bitcoin and I do have a guest here he’s Edwin and he’s got some interesting gear on don’t say Edwin got it come on yes and you’ve got an interesting mug except Bitcoin that’s the best coffee the best coffee in a in an interesting mug and you’ve even got the cat Bitcoin yeah this is the famous El Salvador project um the first truly Bitcoin circular economy that started up um up in 2019 that’s excellent all learning from each other it’s uh Betsant is one of I think 400 circular economies worldwide now wow but it is the it’s got the highest per capita merchant adoption in the world so um yeah it makes it quite unique obviously the town is tiny but it is um I think what this project kind of did is it gave the world something to point at and just say like it can work um so yeah I think bits very special in that regard the garden route is just exploding with Bitcoin Bitcoin adoption we’ve got from Swell and Dumb to Plenberg Bay and now even in Jeff there’s a circular economy popping up but Sun will always be special because it was so early yes um and we’ve learned a lot from it so um yeah I think well for Bitsun specifically what’s probably the most interesting thing about the Bitcoin adoption is the tourism that we’ve seen a lot of people have come to Bits to um to experience what a Bitcoin friendly town looks like yes and it’s obviously helped the the local businesses do a little bit more business it’s an extra option isn’t it for people to extra option yeah and um using Bitcoin on a daily basis obviously teaches the locals a lot more about how the technology works which then enables them to stay safe and help their friends and family also stay safe it’s very important to to first learn about Bitcoin so there you go i’m a little bit scared trying new things new technology but at least I’ve got an expert here just search Blink wallet so this is the easiest wallet to start using the technology with blink wallet blink wallet this is by no means a savings wallet this is like a day-to-day wallet it’s just a nice way to experience the technology and get to learn more okay so I got crypto for this one the blue wallet there [Music] and I say create new account yeah no terms and conditions except no and it looks like I set up Yeah some account here some wallet of some sort so you can see Bitcoin and dollar receive anybody with a lightning enabled wallet can just basically scan and I’m going to send you 100 grand wow and at the moment I send Thank you very much you’re very very generous my pleasure and it’s through immediately and that money can now be spent anywhere in the world that accepts Bitcoin so you can Yeah so I can go to El Salvador and I can come to Vitan or Yeah or pick And I was like all of the big ones so excellent yeah so there we go 100 bucks and I’ve Is that the Satoshi’s satoshi’s 5,100 139 Satoshi’s there’s 100 million Satoshi’s in a Bitcoin almost like Bitcoin cent so um it makes Bitcoin very divisible and transportable yeah so it’s the barrier to entry is very small there you go you can see Vitson at the forefront of technology and of Bitcoin absolutely exciting this is a great app to start getting used to volatility start getting used to the technology it even has a little bit of education in it says earn but it’s actually learn so there’s like you can do um a question block every day and starts at something as simple as what is Bitcoin so if you click on it you can say earn one Satoshi and it just it’s got FAQs and maybe some more information yes oh brilliant so now I’m excit I’m excited to pay for the coffees to see how it actually works you can pay for small items a lot of people think they can only buy one whole bitcoin and they think they don’t have enough money for that but um yeah bitcoins are actually very divisible and you can buy like I think a rand is worth 52 satoshi’s at the moment okay moment of truth guys my first ever Bitcoin transaction and it’s going to be here at Sparsi in Vitam and we’ve got the two coffees here 65 mafari you just scan you so you can tip hero separately yes okay so you just click on scan scan and the first time it’s going to ask you if you can use a camera while using the app yes oh I’ve got a scan code 65 South African rand then you’re going to click next and click next and then slide to confirm slide to confirm gosh I’m I’m I’m actually shaking here there we go i’ve got a green icon it looks like payment’s been sent successfully i say donkey Megan i say buy a donkey for day-to-day stuff Bitcoin is probably the easiest form um of money to use and it’s by far the fastest and the cheapest i think with the lightning network um that’s been in development and that’s now kind of reached maturity um the whole world should be following very very soon right it’s onwards and upwards let’s go and explore more of it but before that Edwin by Donkey say thank you very much i say so I’ve learned a lot about Bitcoin and it’s still all very new to me but he tried to simplify it and I think he did a good job yo I shaked a little bit like a leaf when I had to make that payment but I’ll tell you what I did it talking about technology and progress I got this map from my accommodation i think this is proof that you don’t always need to embrace modern technology to deliver a good map cuz I’ve got everything I need to know on here so you can see there it’s a very small town we are currently here at the Bria River Lodge i’m keen to see the Barry Memorial Church walk a little bit along the main road and we can go to Nellis and the Anchorage Beach Bar as well in front of me here is the Barry Memorial Church what a beautiful simple design a nice garden as well all right is this a case of a rusted gate or no opens pretty easy actually yes this is wonderful you can see their national monument and this church was built by the Barry family in 1849 when Port Bowford was a flourishing port for ships of the Port Bowford Trading Company later Barry and Nephews which applied regularly between Cape Town Port Bowford and Malahus from 1823 to 1882 the barriers have contributed a huge amount to this part of the world including constructing this church yes graves here presumably with family members of a berries indeed there are a few berries laid to rest here oh look at this oh wow the propeller of a steamer SS Cardi the Micardi was integral to the business success of a Barry and there’s a part of history that is forever preserved here showing you more of a church yeah there you can get a another farm feel here indian Ocean just over there river just behind there and you’ve got farm animals you’ve got some sheep the berries they’ve given so much to this part of South Africa they remind me a lot of the sans of the west coast the Sons they use the Bar River to transport goods and the Barrys of course use the Brea River so yeah if the wind doesn’t blow us away so yes if the wind doesn’t blow us away I reckon let’s just go and explore let’s just walk around i am keen to see a little bit of a town and maybe even the town off a beaten track if that is indeed a thing maybe walk through some residential areas and show you a slice of South Africa that many of you wouldn’t have known existed as more people fell for the charm of that in the 19th century Benjamin and Donald Moody the sons of Captain Moody they began to allow local fishermen to build small cottages on the property eventually demand grew and the Moody’s they decided to officially subdivide part of the land in 1908 this area was formally registered as Vitson and the first 118 plots they were bought by only 17 people and over time little by little a village took shape starting with around 20 to 50 homes nestled between the dunes and the estie this growing settlement was eventually recognized as a formal land area in 1951 where tortoises and people live in harmony look here they’ve got a boat angling club wooden club Vant and right next to it you’ve got a bowl club roll here’s the Dutch Reformed Church Vitzant in Vitzant there’s the building also got a cross here there you’ve got the church bell and there you can see Carakol Church Hall 1950 this is a beautiful Dutch style building and just giving you a view here on the outside you can see the windows and you can see a beautiful view as well there of the estie monkey all right so this is the inside of a Dutch reformed church vitzant is part of a wider Adelbar congregation i’ve just been told approximately 60 to 80 people here uh you can expect on a Sunday but yeah beautiful interior wonderful message there the future belongs to those who prepare themselves for it ralph Emerson i’ve just been told that this piano no longer functions it’s out of order but they’ve got the modern Yamaha version there and inside here oh this looks like a kitchen area refreshment station and the cross there presumably for some plays or various other services fa peace for everyone yeah this is where the minister would stand and deliver the liver and this is the view from the pull pit and that’s for the collection the church here adopting some modern technology through the German and on the uh projector what the early computer so that’s a projector and then the songs the hymns will appear on there and then the congregation can sing along there’s a book here about the Dutch Reformed Church Helb 150 years 1855 to 2005 and they do have a section here on Vitzant as well it’s all in Africans but you can see there the church hall dates from 1950 and bits on hall there the year 2000 so yeah you can read that in your own time if you can read Africans and there’s a photo of Tonny Petru Lorens playing the piano the one that is currently out of order but look at her there back in the day I bet many people in the area will remember her they’ve got a wall of remembrance here as well And what a beautiful view the wall of remembrance has look at this you can see it’s a little bit of a windy day not too much though but the wind can be a problem in Bits in fact some people call it Vincent or Windsand more of a wall here loved ones will always be remembered and just here behind the church hidden between these bushes we do have a memorial stone look there to commemorate the arrival in 1817 of Captain Benjamin Moody of Mel Seta Orcnes he brought to South Africa at his own expense more than 200 Scotch immigrants and this monument was erected by his descendants in 1951 captain Benjamin Moody an iconic figure in this part of the world and more information here at the back in Africans you can see there 1789 to 1856 captain Benjamin Moody and here you also get a great perspective of a geographic variety in Vitzon look at the farmland you’ve got the houses here next to the estie the Bria River estie and then you can see the river entering the ocean there the Indian Ocean yes first impression Bitson scores very high for natural beauty do you want to know how busy it can get in Vets extremely you even have to watch out for the tortoises crossing the road some of the houses they’ve got interesting nicknames look there yate spielate it’s playtime all the time check this beautiful garden i get the feeling that it is actually quite safe in Viton people here don’t live behind electric fences they don’t live in gated communities it must be a really nice place to live and to some extent I guess they would have escaped the influx of people from the north to the Western Cape i’m thinking of Kenos moving down to Cape Town and the surroundings that sun is maybe just a little bit too far out from the city for people to permanently settle at least for some people let’s check out Nella Sevank nella Seuncle an iconic institution in this part of the world let’s see what they’ve got there we go no pets so at least I’m fine and they do accept Bitcoin by the looks of it of YouTube so I believe this is the only shop in town so this is where the people will get their groceries # any vitant can get some takeaways classic South African products got pluckies in case you forgot your flip-flops and some beach related stuff here as well we are in a beautiful beach town that’s for sure books not sure yeah they are for sale 60 rand a book by the looks of it since this is the only shop they need to be well stocked with various items you can see a fire light they’ve got oil they’ve got padlocks they’ve got batteries very interesting shop look there not just one petrol pump but two petrol pumps vitzant living the dream next to Nala Nala shop you also have a liquor store see there sparsy liquor and wine shop sparsy meaning space look here this liquor store is getting drunk on Bitcoin they prefer Bitcoin now they’re making their own rum here yes so I can actually smell the alcohol there you go okay there’s the products and yeah the Cardi featuring there as well the SS Cardi the ship from the berries that ran a ground in the area here in 1865 look there VSant a spiced one and a pink one and on this side of Nella Seuncle you do have some interesting houses look at the low roof on this one and the fetch roofs of the Rondals gosh they must have an absolutely wonderful view squeeze in here and give you some of his magic as well just look at that yeah life in Vitzant many properties you will see a lot of these boats outside people getting ready for a day of fishing day of water sports some south coast gardens as well here and on the pavements check this house here in front mhasle tired of struggling barracuda street barracuda strat and I’ve noticed that this is the border of Vitzant and Port Bofort for all practical purposes they function as one town as one unit the post code of Vitzant believe it or not is 666 four sixes so the devil plus one i think they’re glad about that last six there are just some views in life that deserve an A+ rating check this out you’ve got the Indian Ocean you’ve got the beach the white sand you’ve got the Bria River estie you’ve got mountains hills flora look you’ve even got a seating area that just invites me it almost seduces me to come and sit down here this is the south coast no wait this is South Africa at its best here we’ve got Porto Strad Portuguese street of course the Portuguese they were sailing in this part of the world in the 15th century on their way to India their contribution to South Africa cannot be understated and more beautiful houses here in this part of South Africa i get the feeling the quality of life here is extraordinary look at this house here for example claruk they finished looking for a space this is where they decided to settle why wouldn’t they be finished searching for a place when you look at this peaceful living in I guess an area of South Africa that can still call itself undiscovered to some extent it’s a true hidden gem oh is this the Vitant version of a bus stop don’t think there’s a public bus here but at least a waiting area and what have we got here vitson adventures putt putt quad bikes paintball and bungee bounce ah yes they’ve got a putt putt course here there we go i wonder how many putt putt battles there have been over the years some holiday memories I’m sure and yep you guessed it you can pay with Bitcoin look there blombos single street and you’ve got another church over here this is not the Dutch reform church this is another denomination they’ve also got a cross here and beautiful fat roof building okay donkey ah so caravan park in fact municipal park where you can see Vitzant Caraf Park and there’s the reception this really is a beautiful day here in Vitzant look at the waves there’s almost a bit of symmetry to the patterns here’s Anchorage Vitzant # lacera # nice people and we’ve got information here about Vitzant ASA blue flag beach of course the blue flag is the international annual award for beaches boats and marinas that is recognized as a trusted symbol of quality so there you go vitan forms part of that architecture and you’ve got a sign here please leave nothing but your footprints ah yes the Instagram hotspot of VSant look at this southern Cape Coast gateway to the Garden Route Adventure the whale nursery of South Africa and they do have information here on the southern right whale which you will spot in this part of the world during season let’s go and check out the Anchorage Beach restaurant it looks absolutely brilliant just look at the view here i wonder what it looks like from the inside let’s go in all closed on account of weather i’m not surprised here we go anchorage some souvenirs for sale here and you’ve got various caps here various hats on South Africa you’ve got what are these some shorts look there they’ve got coffees and area mills featuring there as well oh that’s what we’re talking about look at the view here this is incredible sitting here it’s a bit windy to sit outside but you can just imagine having a drink there but even inside here this is very special must be one of the restaurants with the best views in South Africa and I don’t say that lightly can do some whale watching I’m sure as well when it’s in season how nice is this so presumably Wumyani would have been sitting there and how’s this for a generational switch emmanell she put her heart up there and she would take a seat next to Yani there there’s an interesting anchor and now they’ve put it up there like a portrait absolutely brilliant more interesting art that looks like it could have been the anchorage at one stage and a photo of a beautiful sand and there’s the anchorage sign you’ve even got a map here of a Brietta River and various nodes points of interest how wonderful is this a great initiative to clean up the environment get a bucket and some trash and you get a coffee i’ve got a sweet tooth and it just so happens there’s a Oh I thought it was a free piece of cake you’ve got the Anchorage V St marks there various wines of a region have some oysters and there’s a prices yeah they tricked me with a cake display there but carrot cake chocolate cake 25 bucks what have we got here beat the clock challenge oh wow looks like there’s a diva that eats this place bankrupt look at that 1348 for 1 kilogram wings and chips that is good going and he’s got a 1 kilo ribs and chips record as well so yeah a bit of community spirit here in Vitson and you’ve got more merchandise some shirts his and hers Anchorage Vitson and more information about the area in general and here’s the bar area Skips presumably people from a local community who have won some prizes with a golf club so so we’re just going up here to the deck and there’s the beach i say “Don Jonathan my dear.” Yeah look at the Irish flag waving proudly there wonder what the Irish connection is and you’ve got the bar on top here I guess and along yeah yeah yes so TV and the dart boards yeah i can just imagine what it must be like here in summer and look they even have Vitzant Junior Beer Pong Champions so if you want to be a legend in Vitant this is what you have to do they’ve got their own clothes here lacquer dry clear various prices there it looks very colorful and I’ve ordered some lunch here bacon and cheese sandwich with some chips and a cappuccino it was 113 rand and here at the restaurant I’ve been given some information on batsant look there’s some books written by Yan Langanwin and I love the name of this one Hoy Los they’re all in Africans but what a wonderful initiative and some of the storytellers in the town you can see there several millers you’ve got Radaman Ptorius Lorens Baka Fushia Dan Brooks just a few of the surnames there and of course Moody i wonder if that is family of Captain Moody and in this book you will read about Vitzan and Port Bowford and the author says that they should actually be distinguished because they had very different histories but for all practical purposes in 2025 they operate as one unit and of course it would be impossible to cover everything but y just looking at the size of this piece of work and the other books he’s done a magnificent job yeah these books are brilliant they’ve even got some photographs of people in Bitson during their holidays wonderful black and white photographs and of course taking photos back in those days they were a pretty big deal it’s not like today’s smartphones where you spoiled for choice these photos they are absolutely precious there’s a beautiful photo of Dina who works for the telephone service and apparently she’s quite a legend in this town and it’s not just people that are covered here they’ve got legendary horses such as Diamond thanks to Diamond they could get some firewood for example and there’s Diamond taking the trek back home on his own this does tell you a lot about life back in the day it was tough here’s a town plan of the old Vets look at the interesting street names stomp Hol Yun Kilstad Steenbrass Mosul Kraer Kabalo and others there’s Vitz before 1910 presumably and Vitz before 1920 and just look at what a difference 50 years make the top one is 1959 the bottom one 2009 thank you very much to Anchorage here in Vitan that was a great experience and more of a natural beauty there you can see some people trying to catch a big one of course fishing is a great pastime here in Vets and kite surfing as well of late many people have I guess discovered that this part of the world is good for kite surfing you can do some whale watching and I believe some bull sharks they are also quite prevalent in these waters and last but not least you can do hours and hours of walking along the beaches here and of course here at Anchorage this beach here this is where we shot the intro just giving you another shot here of a beautiful nature this may not be the whitest of sand but just look at how vast this is the wind here can be quite a problem i’ve read that there were occasions where houses were covered with sand that’s how bad the wind can be in this part of the world and because of the wind the dunes in the area they can be displaced as well you can see their dune stabilization project so keeping the dunes in good and stable condition that must be quite a job in some way these sand dunes almost looks like they’ve taken a piece of fans in Malahari and just put it here albeit the sand is a different color in one of his books Yan Longwiffen mentioned the arous struggle of the ox wagons in the 19th century traveling here from Vitson to Cape Town apparently it took an ox wagon about 7 hours yes 7 hours to travel the last 24 km over the sand to Cape Town yes depending on the time of day the sand could be relatively hard and it would not be too bad to travel on it but crossing the dunes that would have been an entirely different matter the dunes are off limits but what a beautiful sight what a wonderful part of South Africa and I’m so glad that I turned off here i could just have stayed on the N2 but I decided you know what Bits it sounds interesting and when I read up about it about the Bitcoin and the history and various other features of the town I told myself I have to come here i have to say that a winter holiday in South Africa is very underrated yes this is rainy season for many parts of this stretch of coast for sure yesterday for example was a rainy day and I couldn’t film but you do get wonderful days like this as well it’s not too warm not too cold it’s like the baby bears porridge in Goldilocks but you’ll be rewarded with a very peaceful and tranquil setting like this what do you think of Vitan so far let me know in the comments and if you haven’t done it yet please hit the like and subscribe buttons i’m here at the town entrance you can see there Vitson and Port Bowford and this is the R322 this is the road you take from the N2 which is in that direction you do have a bit of a shopping area here you can see there the sand sport village and various other shops they even got an office here look here the Center for Estinine Research and Conservation how brilliant here’s a wool shop let’s check it out dismos V wow how genius is this i’ve never seen this but like a blanket for a fridge wow i think that is a first i can see a lot of work has gone into this a fridge blanket a fridge cover of course it’s no longer a fridge now it sells salted butter it sells fudge it sells rusks nuts various condiments what a genius idea interesting hats here wow and there they go they’ve got their rugby priority straight i see ba 260 rand gosh looks like they are knitting for the whole of Wabar the whole of Africa in here and I understand they actually do some knitting marathons so if the other activities of Vitzand is not to your taste like kite surfing or whale watching I guess there’s something for everyone oh look at this this is textiles the old school way look at these bus for hot pot plants absolutely genius you even got some Viton stickers there 20 rand so definitely something for everyone in this beautiful town yeah an explosion of color here in Bitson i’m no wool expert but I can tell there’s a huge variety net double trilogy various prices there as well they brought out the Instagram frame for me so actually [Laughter] here donkey man yes sir it was a great experience so let’s check out more of a area here i can see there’s a auto shop so it’s got a bit of an industrial edge marine and auto maybe this has closed yeah this shop is closed after 29 years wow okay so I don’t think we’ll be able to go in here here’s a restaurant ellies on main yeah nice soup here 55 rand beautiful outside area beautiful flowers colorful touch here in VSON and orange color features prominently the Bitcoin color maybe that’s just a coincidence here some of the prices this restaurant you can see there white wine 120 27 rand for a Coke 38 for a Red Bull i’m just cherry picking a few prices there and the seafood menu starters yeah there we go all right everyone let me show you where I’m staying here in Vatsant you can see I’ve got a twin room two single beds there i’ve got a bathroom over there a little mirror how’s it everyone i’ve got a cupboard and I’ve got a map of Vitant over there all the places of interest i’ve got some hangers where I can hang my coats although I’ve opted for the chair over there and I’ve got a interesting piece of art here monkeys in the jungle and some art over here as well you can see they live simply a nice colorful touch there and a beautiful message don’t worry be happy look at this beautiful mirror decorated with sea shells and sea urchins and in the bathroom also you’ve got the sea pump winkies sea urchins in the corner there’s another mirror there’s the wash basin and there’s the shower so pretty decent and here’s another book that I borrowed from the owners you can see there the berries with the back in the harbor of Port Bowford it’s written by AP Berski hope I pronounced that right but it also has a forward from Yan Longwiffen it’s very interesting and it gave me some good perspectives on the area and here’s more of the outside area you can see a surfboard there’s a seahorse some flowers and plants here and look a little citrus tree and you do have a dormatories here as well and there’s a communal kitchen area ah look an outside fire space and a few kitchen rules there for Africa’s people that’s quite funny and here’s a communal kitchen area and a place for people to hang out you can see some more beautiful art there’s a globe of a world let’s see if we can spot Vant probably somewhere around there nice kitchen as well there’s a fridge i guess two fridges usual stuff mark your food and yes look at that they do accept Bitcoin they really are well stocked here look there’s an oven there’s a microwave yeah even got a toaster kettle teas and coffees very very nice place even a guitar waves of its end of May and if you book direct here if you’re one person it’s about 500 rand all right everyone i’m going to end the vlog here in an area known as Draki and I’m also here on Joseph Barry Drive joseph Barry who’s done so much for the area the community this town is in many ways everything I want South African towns to be i want them to be safe i want the people to be friendly and accommodating and I want the people to be proud of their area i love what they’ve done with regards to conservation celebrating the environment documenting their history young long and fantastic and I really hope that more people will discover the magic of this part of South Africa come to Vitan and experience a slice of a magic if you haven’t done it yet please press the like button subscribe to the channel and leave a comment for me in the comment section i would love to hear from you for now I just want to say again thanks for watching my videos and I’m going to see you in the next one cheers let’s take it easy

Hi everyone! In this video, I explore the a tranquil seaside town of Witsand. This hidden gem on South Africa’s southern coast, nicknamed the Whale Nursery of South Africa, is a sanctuary for nature lovers and a haven for outdoor adventurers. Some of the activities in the area include fishing, whale-watching and kite surfing.

According to some locals, the town has a population of around 500 to 600 permanent residents, but in the summer months it can reach up to 7,000 people. For the purposes of this vlog, I refer to the areas of Port Beaufort and Witsand collectively as Witsand.

The vlog starts with me talking about the geographic significance of the town, as the place where the Breede River meets the Indian Ocean. However, it also has a distinct farm feel due to the prominence of agriculture in the area. In fact, Witsand was once a farm. In 1831 the British authorities gave a farm known as Westfield – now the very land Witsand sits on – to Captain Benjamin Moodie, a Scottish settler. Fast forward a few decades, and by the late 1800s, the Moodie family was inviting locals from Heidelberg – a nearby inland town – to escape to the coast for holidays. The attraction? Endless white sand, peaceful waters, and some of the best fishing around. In fact, the name “Witsand,” meaning “White Sand” in Afrikaans, was already in use by 1867, capturing the essence of the place. Of course, 1867 is also the year diamonds were discovered in SA. So up north, it was the bling of the diamond that attracted people. Down here, it was the pristine white beaches which attracted holidaymakers.

I visit the Barry & Nephews Woolshed, an important part of the business empire of Joseph Barry and his nephews who we learned more about in the Swellendam vlog. The old woolshed is now home to some tame chickens and some interesting merchandise. I take some time to do a bit of browsing in the shop. Next I walk down to the Breede River estuary where I talk about the town’s challenges with fresh drinking water and how they built a desalination plant running on solar energy as an innovative solution.

Witsand is also famous for embracing Bitcoin. In fact, it has the highest concentration of businesses per capita that accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. At the Spasie Restaurant, I meet Edwin who introduces me to the world of digital wallets and talks about why Witsand is such a special case. Nervously, I make my first ever Bitcoin payment, show more of the restaurant and orientate myself using a map I got from my accommodation.

I then visit the Barry Memorial Church, one of the iconic sights in the town, before talking more about the history of Witsand. As more people fell for the charm of the place, Benjamin and Donald Moodie, Captain Moodie’s sons, began to allow local fishermen to build small cottages on the property. Eventually, demand grew, and the Moodies decided to officially subdivide part of the land – about 65 morgen (roughly 55 hectares). In 1908, this area was formally registered under the name Witsand, and the first 118 plots were distributed among just 17 buyers. Over time, a village took shape – starting with around 20 to 30 homes. The growing settlement was recognized as a formal local area in 1951.

Next, I walk around the town in the Main Road and residential areas, and visit the Dutch Reformed Church. I also stumble across a memorial stone dedicated to Captain Moodie, whilst admiring a wonderful view of the town. I visit the local shop, Nella se Winkel, as well as the Spasie Liquor Store, before exploring more of the town and forming more impressions of it. I note the interesting and perhaps notorious post code of the town, with one digit making a huge difference!

I stumble across more beautiful vantage points across town, as well as amenities and such as the putt-putt course and the caravan park and buildings such as the Apostolic Faith Mission Church. Next, I go down to the beach area where I visit Anchorage Restaurant and learn more about the local history. After some lunch, I walk on the beach, talking about the town’s struggles with wind – including maintaining the sand dunes. I share an interesting story about how the ox wagons struggled to travel from Witsand to Cape Town.

The Sands at Witsand, a shopping centre, is my next stsop. Here I visit an interesting wool shop and a restaurant, whilst noticing that a historic establishment had to close after nearly 30 years of doing business. I then head to my accommodation and give a tour of my room. The vlog ends with me sharing some thoughts at the Kraaltjie harbour area.

Please note that I have not been sponsored in the production of this video and I am not promoting any commercial services.

I hope you enjoy this vlog about Witsand! If you haven’t done it yet, please press the LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE to the channel and leave a COMMENT for me in the comments section. Also please share this video as wide as you can with friends and family.

Happy exploring!

Willie