Morgan Bay, officially renamed Gxarha in 2022,[2] is a village in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Morgan Bay
af: Morganbaai | |
|---|---|
| Gxarha | |
 Morgan Bay | |
  Morgan Bay  Morgan Bay  Morgan Bay | |
| Coordinates: 32°42′14″S 28°20′10″E / 32.704°S 28.336°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Amathole |
| Municipality | Great Kei |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.36 km2 (0.53 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 321 |
| • Density | 240/km2 (610/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 47.5% |
| • Coloured | 0.6% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.6% |
| • White | 47.2% |
| • Other | 4.1% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 47.9% |
| • English | 40.7% |
| • Afrikaans | 9.5% |
| • Other | 1.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 5292 |
| PO box | n/a |
The holiday village of Morgan Bay was given its current name in 1822. It was named after A.F. Morgan, the master of the Barracouta, a survey ship of the Royal Navy. The ship was part of an expedition under Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen, sent out by the British Admiralty to survey the coast from Maputo to the mouth of the Keiskamma River. The nearby Bead Beach (Treasure Beach) at the Double Mouth Nature Reserve is the site of a 16th-century Portuguese shipwreck.[3]
Tourism
editMorgan Bay is a popular holiday destination due to its picturesque setting, mile-long beach, estuary, sea cliffs and location at the southern end of the Wild Coast.
The 1.6 km-long (0.99 mi) sandy beach is patrolled by lifeguards during the festive season and is ideal for ball games such as cricket, rugby and tennis. A set of touch rugby and cricket tournaments are held between Christmas and New Year every year. The dunes are good for sandboarding and the beach is also popular with joggers and walkers. [4]
The shallow Inchara river estuary, which hosts numerous water birds, is ideal for swimming and water sports like canoeing, board sailing and standup paddle boarding.
The Morgan Bay cliffs are popular with hikers and offer excellent vantage points for watching the sunrise or enjoying a sundowner with friends. The Morgan Bay cliffs is the largest sea cliff climbing location in South Africa with over 600 climbing routes and several bouldering problems. [5]
The Morganville Motorcycle Museum which is located just 7 km (4.3 mi) from town, houses over 650 motorcycles, a Convair 880 passenger jet, several London buses and many other collectables. Owned and run by the former Eastern Cape Finance MEC, Billy Nel, the museum is opened to the public on the occasional open-day, which he holds for local charities, as well visiting motorcycle clubs during rallies. [6][7]
Other activities in Morgan Bay include bird watching, hiking, mountain biking, township tours, fishing, surfing, game drives and horse riding.
The Cape Morgan Nature Reserve is a coastal forest reserve found between the Morgan Bay estuary and the Cwili estuary. The Strandloper Hiking Trail begins at the visitor centre found on the reserve.[8]
Gallery
edit-
Keightly's Krantz in Morgan Bay -
Morgan Bay cliffs -
Morgan Bay beach and touch rugby competition
External links
edit
Morgan's Bay travel guide from Wikivoyage- Morgan Bay Tourism
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Main Place Morgan Bay". Census 2011.
- ^ Lambley, Garrin (2022-08-26). "FIVE new name changes for towns in South Africa: Welcome to Gxarha!". The South African. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "Double Mouth Nature Reserve". Morgan Bay Tourism. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
- ^ "The Morgan Bay beach". Morgan Bay Tourism. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
- ^ "Morgan Bay Rock Climbing". Eastern Cape Rock Climbing. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
- ^ Freeman, Jim (2017-12-16). "Bike nut, and he has a plane!". The Citizen. Gauteng. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
- ^ "Morganville Motorcycle Museum". Morgan Bay Tourism. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
- ^ "Strandloper Hiking Trails – … where the ultimate coastal experience awaits you!". Retrieved 2023-03-24.