New Guide to Mossel Bay’s Museums
Friday, February 18th, 2011
Mossel Bay Tourism has published a new and comprehensive guide to the town’s museums.
“The Dias Museum Complex, the Cape St Blaize Cave, the ATKV-Hartenbos Museum, and the Great Brak River Museum rank amongst Mossel Bay’s most popular attractions, and we felt it was necessary to provide a comprehensive guide that visitors could take away and keep,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm.
“Also, our research has shown that the Dias Museum’s Post Office Tree and the Maritime Museum’s replica of Bartolomeu Dias’s caravel are still amongst the most important reasons why tour operators come to Mossel Bay,” she said. But, she added, “When it comes to history and culture, there’s much more to see and do in Mossel Bay, so this brochure will also be used as part of our marketing campaign.”
The full colour, 16-page, Dl-sized publication includes a short description of the War Memorial at The Point, and an article on the Mossel Bay Archaeology Project.
“Although the Mossel Bay Archaeology Project isn’t a tourist attraction as such, it is related to both the Cape St Blaize Cave and the Dias Museum Complex, and it has given the town incredible exposure in the world’s media, so this was seen as an appropriate platform in which to introduce it,” said Ms. Holm.
She said that the town’s lesser-known museums are fascinating repositories of information.
“The ATKV-Hartenbos Museum tells the story of the Great Trek of 1838 – when the Boers, dissatisfied with British rule, left the Cape Colony en mass. The Museum also explores the Symbolic Ox Wagon Trek of 1938 (a re-enactment and centenary celebration of the original event), and the history of Hartenbos.
“Its displays of old wagons and its authentic dioramas paint a vivid picture of life on the open veld.
“A little further along the coast, the Great Brak River Museum and Tourism Information Centre celebrates the history of Great Brak River, which was established in 1859 – just twenty years after the introduction of photography.
“As a result, Great Brak River was photographed from the start, and the Museum houses a large collection of photographs that tell the village’s story right up to the present day.
“Then at the Dias Museum Complex, the shell museum houses the largest collection of shells in South Africa; the town’s only Braille Trail allows blind and sighted people alike to experience and learn about the indigenous plants of the area; and the peaceful field garden is a wonderful place where you can spend a relaxing hour or two in the outdoors.”
Ms. Holm said that the brochure – titled ‘The Post Office Tree, The Caravel, & Mossel Bay’s Museums’ will be distributed at the tourism information office, and at the individual museums, and will be made available through local attractions and accommodation providers.
The brochure can also be downloaded in pdf format here
More information
ATKV-Hartenbos Museum – hartenbos@atkv.org.za
Dias Museum Complex – www.diasmuseum.co.za
Great Brak River Museum – www.ourheritage.org.za
Mossel Bay – www.visitmosselbay.co.za
ENDS
Mossel Bay Tourism News Flash
admin@visitmosselbay.co.za
Telephone: +27(0)44 691 2202
PO Box 1556
(Corner Church & Market Streets)
Mossel Bay
6500
Republic of South Africa
Mossel Bay:
- Western Cape Town of the Year 2010 – Rapport & Kwela Town of the Year Competition;
- Town of the Year 2007/8 – Swartland Wine Cellars Kaap Rapport Town of the Year Competition
Media Management:BarefootClients – MARTIN HATCHUEL, Barefoot Writer martin@barefootclients.co.za
Cell +27(0)84 951 0574
Telephone +27(0)44 384 1810
Want The Barefoot Benefit? – Visit www.barefootclients.co.za
PROUDLY BAREFOOT – FULLY SOUTH AFRICAN