Lamberts Bay

These pictures were taken in the vicinity of Lamberts Bay, a fishing port on the Atlantic coast near Clanwilliam. A landscape view of a part of the coastal area south of Lamberts Bay is in the "Album", where four pages of  thumbnails provide an overview of larger pictures that can be selected for viewing.

Lamberts Bay is one of many fishing villages along the Atlantic Coast. In the early days, residents caught fish from rowing boats before a crayfish and fish factory was built in 1918. With the employment provided by the factory, the town has grown into a holiday resort visited by a large number of tourists. It is known as the Crayfish capital of the country. There are many restaurants serving fresh fish, including one right on the beach. Behind an enclosure or Boma created by a hedge of thorny Muisbos, dishes are prepared on an open fire with a view of the the surf breaking on the shore. The climate is good throughout most of the year, and surfing and other water sports are popular.

One of the town's greatest attractions is a bird island easily accessible from the harbour entrance. Thousands of breeding birds include Cape, Bank and Crowned cormorant, Cape gannet, Jackass penguin and others. Another great attraction during spring, are the wild flowers that reach down to the beach, where the red Antholyza plicata above was taken. The fields of flowers in the area include Gazanias, Memsembryanthemums, wild Rosemary and Crassula shrubs.

An admiral in the British navy at Cape Town, Sir Robert Lambert, surveyed this coastal area in the early 1800's. The town was named after him.