Hout Bay Christian Community Association:About Hout Bay

Hout Bay is situated on the Atlantic coast forming part of the Cape Peninsula and is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in South Africa and the world. ‘Hout’ is the Dutch word for timber and the name refers to the large timber forests which were in existence at the time when the first Dutch settlers arrived in the Cape at the beginning of the 16^th Century.

Hout Bay is surrounded by majestic mountains covered with beautiful ‘fynbos’. Fynbos is Dutch for ‘fine leaved plants’. Fynbos plants are hard, tough and leathery leaved plants that bear an array of beautiful flowers. Flowers from the Protea and Erica families are well-known, including familiar bulbous plants from the Iridaceae family such as Freesia, Gladiolus, Iris, Sporaxis and Watsonia to name only a few. Hout Bay forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom – one of only five floral kingdoms in the world and boasting with as many as 1,300 species per 10,000 square kilometres of which 70% are found nowhere else in the world. Hout Bay has numerous mountain trails that enables one to discover the immense natural beauty of mountainsides that teem with birdlife, unique plants and rippling streams.

The harbour is an area that forms an integral part of Hout Bay life. Brightly coloured fishing boats return here each morning, bearing their bounty of fresh fish. The fishing tradition is one that has continued from generation to generation, and there are many families whose entire history is steeped in the salty spray of the sea. The fish predominantly caught in the Hout Bay waters are Kingklip, Kabeljou, Yellowtail, Cape Salmon and (seasonally) the famous Snoek. The traditional Snoek braai is enjoyed by all Hout Bay residents, whereby this large, gamey fish is grilled over an open fire under the starlight of Africa.

Hout Bay is a village that possesses a quaint vibrancy, with its numerous small shops selling anything from African artefacts to freshly made Italian ice cream. The surrounding mountains also contribute to Hout Bay’s unique village feel, inhabiting a wide variety of people groups. The population of Hout Bay is approximately 40,000 people comprising of approximately 45% white residents, 33% black residents and 22% coloured residents. This variety of people groups adds to the unique character of Hout Bay and represents a community truly reflective of the diversity of the new South Africa in every aspect. Here different groups are learning to live side by side in harmony and to embrace, respect and acknowledge each others’ different values and ways of life. Hout Bay is increasingly celebrating its diversity, as residents realise that they have an unique opportunity to learn from one another. In Hout Bay a visitor will see state of the art sedans, sports cars and four-by-four SUV’s sharing the same road with bicycles and shopping trolleys as transport mediums. Palatial homes that are worth millions of Rands overlook homes built of cardboard, wood and plastic - this is Hout Bay’s reality and is one that challenges those who have to consider those that do not.