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Cape Columbine Lighthouse

Cape Columbine Lighthouse, Tietiesbaai  © South African Tourism

Cape Columbine Lighthouse

Cape Columbine Lighthouse

Situated on a prominent headland, approximately 5 kilometers from the popular little fishing village of Paternoster, on a massive granite boulder called Castle Rock a few hundred meters above the sea, is one of the last manned lighthouses built in South Africa, the Cape Columbine Lighthouse.

Prior to it being built in 1936 a number of ships ran aground off this coastline. In 1876 a troopship, SS Saint Lawrence landed up on the rocky coastline, with no loss of life. In 1910 the SS Lisboa, a Portuguese steamship ran aground en route from Angola to Cape Town with 250 passengers and 50 crew on board. Three more ships , namely the SS Haddon Hall in 1913, the SS Malmesbury 1930, and the SS Haleric in 1932 ran aground before the decision was made to erect the lighthouse.

The Lighthouse was commissioned on the 1st October 1936 and was named after the barque Columbine, which was wrecked there on 31 March 1829. The town of Paternoster was even named after the heartfelt prayers of the shipwrecked Portuguese sailors and means Our Father. Today the lighthouse is the first one to be seen by ships coming from South America and Europe and stands approximately 30 km from Vredenburg on the West Coast. This lighthouse was one of the first lighthouses along the South African coastline to receive three navigational safety devices, which were a foghorn, a radio beacon and a lens designed for use with incandescent light bulbs.

There are guided tours of the lighthouse offered as well as, curios and memorabilia on sale, a conference facility that can accommodate at least 30 persons in banquet style and 100 persons in cinema seating style. The large premises lends itself ideally for special events, as there is plenty of space for erecting a marquee tent, where weddings and wedding receptions and other events may be held. There is also a swimming pool and Jungle Gym for the kids.

Directions
Take the R27 from Cape Town to Vredenburg
Your journey will be about an hour and a half and you will travel through some very scenic areas past Yzerfontein and Langebaan and Saldanha Bay.
Then continue to Vredenburg, through the quaint Paternoster.

Visiting Hours
Mondays to Fridays 10:00 to 15:00
Weekends and Public Holidays
May to September - By reservation only
October to April 10:00 to 15:00

Please note that there are discounted rates for under 12, Pensioners, Adult Tour Groups, Students (with ID cards) and School Groups

For more information, rates, and bookings please contact:
Central Reservations Office
Tel: +27-21-4492400
Fax: +27-21-4495625
Or email: lighthouse.tourism@transnet.net

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