Plettenberg Bay and the Paradise Coast, by Patricia Storrar (used)

Second-hand copy — condition: good.

PLETTENBERG BAY AND THE PARADISE COAST represents a climatically equable, often breathtakingly picturesque, and above all, a serene part of the African continent. But it has not always been so. The entire “Garden Route” — as this 250-kilometre stretch of coastline is so widely known — bears traces of cataclysmic events in ice ages and subsequent meltdowns of long, long ago. Within recorded history, too, the Paradise Coast has endured wild storms and other natural disasters, some dealing out death and mayhem in their destructive paths. In the social evolution of Southern Africa, the Paradise Coast has also experienced pitched battles for territory and natural resources, at various times involving the San people, the Khoikhoi, the AmaKhosa, the Griqua nation and the European colonists. All of this is faithfully recorded in Patricia Storrar’s new book. Likewise, in words and pictures, the book captures the restrained power and grace of the whales, the exuberance of dolphins, the arresting beauty of the birds, the indigenous fynbos in its profusion and seemingly endless variety, the trees and marvelous forests — some unique to this region — that have combined to give the Paradise Coast its magnetic attraction for millions of South African holiday-makers and visitors from far-distant shores.

This book is also a celebration of remarkable people and human achievements, of beaches and other wonderful pastimes. As well as Patricia Storrar’s historical chapters and stories of the “characters” of the Paradise Coast, the book also includes chapters about fishing on the coast, the artists, golfing, the innkeepers, and a chapter entitled “Seeing and Doing”. It is illustrated both with historical pictures and scenic photographs from Mossel Bay in the west to Storms River in the east.

Trevor McGlashan, 2001, 288 pages.