Today’s Blog it’s about Hermanus that formerly was a small fishing village, but a place this beautiful could not remain a secret for long.

Today, it is a popular vacation spot offering extraordinary views and beaches along with a number of oceanic attractions, including Whale watching.

There is a path along the cliffs that offer particularly spectacular views and also serves as an excellent vantage point for watching the whales from the shore. In the summer, there is even a whale festival.

The fields surrounding Hermanus are covered in diverse wildflowers and, the breezy climate is comparable to that Mediterranean.

Hermanus was founded in the early 1800s by a man called Hermanus Pieters who had happened upon the area when searching for better grazing for his livestock. Freshwater spring and excellent grazing pastures convinced him to stay and soon other farmers and fishermen followed suit to the plentiful area.

The thriving fishing and business industry in Hermanus required better and faster means for the transportation of goods to the established town. Thus plans were drawn for the extension of the railway line in Botriver to continue to Hermanus.

However, these plans did not sit well with the Head of South African Railways and Harbour Services, Sir William Hoy.

Sir William and his family often vacationed in Hermanus and he believed that the influx of pollution from the trains and extra holiday-makers would spoil the tranquil beauty of the town. For this reason, Sir William overruled the plans for the extension and established a horse and carriage service between the 2 towns instead.

Till today, the Hermanus Railway Station remains the only train station in the world where no train has arrived to or departed from.

Today the Hermanus Tourism Bureau operates from this historically important building.