The Bluff promontory is Durban’s most prominent natural landmark being strategically located to the south of the entrance to Durban Harbour, serving as an important visual reference for shipping navigation.
The Bluff promontory is a remnant of an extensive coastal dune system that formed along the shoreline of KwaZulu-Natal between two and five million years ago.
As one of the main enclosing elements of the Bay of Natal, the Bluff headland has extraordinary geographical, environmental and historical significance. As a regional landmark, it is visible from great distances, both inland and from the sea, and it must have provided early travellers with an easily recognised reference. Since the mid-Nineteenth Century it has been dominated by navigational and military usage. Fortunately, the latter ‘fortress’ use has allowed many of the ecological systems to survive. It also provides a long green backdrop to the city centre and is thus one of the major components of the Durban open space system, being considered important in the ecological management of Durban and environs.
With water on three sides it has the qualities of an island. The traditional Zulu name for the Bluff is Isibubulungu. There are two possible meanings: the first is a long, round-shaped ridge and the second is “the white man’s bluff” – a reference to the fact that it became the first refuge for white shipwreck survivors. Both are apt. The English word ‘bluff’ means a headland or cliff with perpendicular face.
The area now boasts some of the world’s most diverse marine life. This colourful and unique ecosystem makes the Bluff a popular destination for snorkelling and educational visits.
The small Bluff Nature Reserve is 45 ha in extent and consists of a large pan and adjacent forest. The pan is a home and a refuge for many water birds and waders. Two bird hides are sited along the edge of the pan and provide excellent bird viewing opportunities. Spoonbills and cormorants nest in the edges of the reedbeds in late winter and spring. There is an excellent self-guided trail in the reserve which meanders around the pan and offers a great opportunity to explore the diverse water-bird life in the reserve.
The greater Bluff area is also a popular holiday destination, with extensive accommodations and plentiful beaches & seaside recreation. The area is known for its abundant sea life, including dolphins, and in the winter months, whales.
There are two main beaches: Brighton Beach and Anstey’s, while a smaller, lesser-known beach is Garvie’s. There is golf course and a wetlands area with a large population of various bird species.
This is a route with a difference. In the South Durban Basin (as the area is known) there are five main residential suburbs: Bluff, Treasure Beach, Merebank, Austerville and Wentworth. Interspersed among the houses are a number of industries, including two of South Africa’s largest oil refineries, the Durban International Airport, a paper mill and other smaller factories. This mixture of residential homes and large industries creates a challenge for all those who live and work in the area. Air pollution, water pollution, overcrowding and litter are some of the problems that residents and industries work to resolve.
The OvP appointment was for a Landscape Concept Plan, limited to the Crest view site area only, to explore the landscape potential of opening the site up for limited visitor access. This is the area of the lighthouse and military installations.
As a desktop study, the OvP landscape vision remains unfulfilled, being under the Control of National Public Works, which together with similar sites across SA have tremendous economic potential but which lack political will and leadership.