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Cape St Francis is conservation orientated village surrounded by protected
green areas, many with secured nature reserve status. It has limited expansion
potential for the village and has restricted commercial development due
to nature reserve surroundings. This allows for an unspoilt pristine beach
- rated as one of the best in the Eastern Cape. There is an unending rocky
coastline teeming with marine life.
Cape St Francis has a fishing village ambience where you can leave behind
the anxiety of crime-ridden cities. It encompasses a holiday resort, a comprehensive
mini market, restaurants and pubs, approximately 650 residential plots,
and a world class surf reef and point break, and a Lighthouse. Cape St Francis
is the Second Furthest Point of Africa.
Cape St Francis Lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1984.
The lighthouse was commissioned on 4 July 1878. It is a 28-metre circular
masonry tower that supports a lantern house and 2nd order rotating lantern
consisting of 8 catadioptric lens panels.
The lighthouse is situated within the eastern part of the Cape floristic
region, a floral territory internationally recognised for its impressive
assortment. The plant life supports a diversity of bird, rodent and other
small animal inhabitants. Efforts are being made, due to this reason,
to have the area declared as a Private Nature Reserve.
A distinctive focal point in the village of St Francis Bay and Cape St
Francis is Port St Francis. The area is very well established and development
is continuing with the addition of "The Port Hotel and Conference
Centre" (amongst others). The harbour serves as moorings for a hefty
fleet of private yachts and recreational fishing boats and is also home
to several commercial and long-line vessels.
The breeding area for the bronze whaler sharks is the Bay of Cape St
Francis. Cape fur seals are plentiful at Seal Point. Bottlenose dolphins
can be found patrolling the wide beach between these two areas. The choices
of activities are varied, exciting and endless from action to adventure.
Canals can be explored by boat, you can venture on to the Kromme River,
experience the 18 hole links-style golf course, bowls, tennis, squash,
surf the "Endless Summer", charter a fishing vessel.
The St Francis Golf course is an eighteen hole course, and is not to
be missed. It is a natural course between the beach and the cultivable
land. The bunkers are therefore very natural, and look as is they have
simply been ploughed out of the land. The bunkers are what define the
course, and it is the main reason for the quality of it. The layout of
the course has been copied because of how well it works. The shape of
the greens is also as a result of the land. The greens have simply been
placed on top of the sand, changing shape in construction as the wind
changed its mind.
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