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Mossel Bay Accommodation: Nearby towns with accommodation:
Little Brak River Accommodation | Great Brak River Accommodation | George Accommodation
Dana Bay Accommodation | Glentana Accommodation | Hartenbos Accommodation
Mossel Bay (Afrikaans: Mosselbaai) lies on the southern coast of South Africa, east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Knysna. It lies on the Indian Ocean coast and is part of the Garden Route.
Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias arrived here on February 3, 1488, thus proving to his sponsors that Africa had a southern tip; making it theoretically possible to sail from Europe to India.
Originally called by Dias Aguada de São Brás (Bay of Saint Blaise), the harbour and surrounding area was renamed Mosselbaai (Bay of Mussels) in 1601 by Dutch navigator Paulus van Caerden, as he found the bay to be abundant with mussels. He also called a nearby bay, where he found cattle herders, Vlees Bay (Bay of Meat).
The Dias Museum Complex marks the spot of the historical landing of Dias. The 500 year old Post Office Tree, a national monument, can still be seen at the site, now harbouring a post box shaped as a shoe.
The original Mossel Bay Stone has been moved to the National Cultural History Museum of South Africa, but a cast is in the collection of the Dias Museum.
The Maritime Museum houses a replica of the caravel on which Dias arrived. The caravel arrived in Mossel Bay in 1987, a gift from the Government of Portugal. Another highlight is a map of Mossel Bay produced by early Dutch sailor, Cornelius de Houtman in 1595. The Museum is housed in the old Saw Mill Building.
ccording to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mossel Bay has the second mildest all-year climate in the world. The first is Hawaii.
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