Mowbray is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, which lies on the slopes of Devil's Peak and extends across the Swartrivier towards the King David Mowbray Golf Course. Mowbray is at a junction of several major Cape Town highways and is an important node for public transport.
Mowbray, with stunning examples of Victorian terraced homes on the banks of the Liesbeek River, has become an alternatively chic neighbourhood. A popular home for students from the University of Cape Town and recently also with north Africans and refugee communities. Main Road Mowbray is a busy interchange for buses, taxis and trains.
Surronded by Cape Town City Centre and Oude Molen Village above, Kewtown and Athlone to the east and Rosebank at its south end.
CLIMATE
Cape Town has a Mediterranean-style climate with wet, cool winters, and dry warm summers. The average summer temperatures are 24ºC with January and February averaging 26ºC.
Cape Town lies on the 34th latitude south, however, Cape Town’s climate is a collection of micro-climates of which the Northern Suburbs has more than one. Apart from air pressure, wind and temperatures, the cold current, mountains, and built-environment are additional factors that influence the local weather. Check with the forecasts for the daily weather.
The front view of Table Mountain is famous for its tablecloth, the south-east wind blows cool air off the sea which is forced up over the mountain, this air condenses into clouds which ‘spill’ over the front. The tablecloth is a good indicator that the southeaster (the prevailing summer wind) is blowing and that the beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard are a better bet than those in False Bay.
WHEN TO GO
For beach and sightseeing holidays, the summer months are best from October to April, however, in both April and October the weather is variable and unpredictable. Winters are mild with temperatures in a range of 8ºC and 17ºC but winter is the rainy season. There is something to be said for a warm fireside, sipping the Cape’s award-winning red wines, while the wind and rain rage outside. Winter is also whale-watching season. December/January is the time most South Africans take their annual holiday and the summer break for school children, so booking is often essential, but there is always more to do and see.
FLORA
The transition between mountain and flat the change in vegetation becomes clear, there are patches of Afromontane forest in the kloofs of Table Mountain, the higher and lower slopes the fynbos is characterised by large protea bushes, and as the land gets flatter so does the vegetation with Strandveld fynbos growing on the ‘Flats’. There are literally hundreds of flowering species.
Fynbos comprises four major plant groups:
● Proteas: large shrubs with broad leaves
● Ericas: heath-like, low-growing shrubs
● Restios: reed-like plants; are the only group that are found in all fynbos habitats
● Geophytes: bulbs; these include watsonias and disas both of which occur mainly in wetland areas and are prominent after fires.
Fynbos is a fire-dependent vegetation that needs to burn around every 15 years to stimulate new growth and ensure that plant and animal communities remain healthy. If it doesn’t burn in about 20 – 30 years, it stops producing seeds which could cause the extinction of some species. If fire is too frequent due to human intervention seed banks are depleted which can change the diversity of plant species in the area.
There are nearly always flowers to be seen. Ask the Fynbos Guy what is currently flowering on the Table Mountain Chain.
FAUNA
The Southern Suburbs are built-up residential areas of Cape Town. Large mammals are no longer abundant in these regions small interesting and often endemic animals such as mongoose, otters, tortoises, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads can be observed especially in the nature reserves.
Reptiles
Look out for the bright blue-headed Southern Rock Agama, the prehistoric looking Black Girdled Lizard and the Cape Skink.
There are some interesting endemic and endangered Amphibians, the Table Mountain Ghost Frog is a special find, but look out for the Cape Chirping Frog, Cape River Frog, the endangered Leopard toad and the tiny Arum Lily Frog.
Two species of Tortoises are common, the Angulate Tortoise and the Parrot-beaked Tortoise.
There are 22 snake species, ten of which are non-venomous, although they can still deliver a nasty bite if provoked. Some of the venomous species include the Cape Cobra, the Puff Adder, Boomslang, Rinkhals and Berg Adder. The good news is it they are mostly shy and will avoid human contact. The one you are most likely to encounter is the Puff Adder which enjoys nice warm spots, such as rocks and pathways (best to keep out of its way).
Insects
Insects play an integral role in the fynbos ecosystem either by directly pollinating plants or as a vital source of nutrient for birds and animals. Some are especially adapted to pollinate specific plants. Look out for butterflies such as the Mountain Pride Butterfly that is the exclusive pollinator of a variety of red plants such as the red disa, and the red crassula.
Birds
The many niches and habitats that exist (ocean, shoreline, cliff-face, rocky highland, fynbos, forest and suburbia) contributes to a large species count, as does the geographical positioning at a continent's corner, many vagrants and seasonal visitors can be spotted.
For a full bird list or birding checkllist see the SANparks website or for further information on birding in the Cape Peninsula, contact: The Cape Bird Club on 021 559 0726 or www.capebirdclub.org
THINGS TO SEE & DO:
Mostert’s Mill
Mostert's Mill (Afrikaans: Mostert se Meul) is a historic windmill in Mowbray. It was built in 1796 and is the oldest surviving and only complete windmill in South Africa. Mostert's Mill is a three storey tower mill and was built around 1796 as a private mill on the farm 'Welgelegen', During its history the mill has become derelict on more than one occasion. Recently (1993) the formation of the Friends of Mostert's Mill has seen to its latest restoration in 1995 returning it to working order. They operate the mill once per month on a Saturday from 10am to 2.30pm but it is not open to the public.
Mowbray Golf Club /King David Golf Club
One of Cape Town's grand old clubs, Mowbray celebrated its centenary in 2010 and has recently merged with the King David Golf Club on the original Mowbray golf course. This course has hosted seven South African Opens in its time, so if you're looking to play a course with a bit of history and tradition then this is a good choice. The course is a beautiful parkland course with great views of Table Mountain and an unbeatably convenient location.
info@mowbraygolfclub.co.za
Raapenberg Road, Mowbray
+27 21 685 3018
- See the oldest surviving windmill, Mosert's Mill
- Play a full round at the beautiful Kind David Mowbray Golf Course
- Devil's Peak, the Table Mountain Chain and Rhodes Memorial a few minutes away
- Close to Cape Town City Centre, the V&A Waterfront, and many more land and sea attractions
The village of Mowbray was established in about 1853 on the farm Welgelegen. The area more commonly known as Drie Koppen (‘Three heads’ in Dutch) was so named because the heads of three slaves were impaled there in 1724. Its significance was not fully understood by the English who translated it to Three Cups. The name of Mowbray first appeared in 1823, and was probably derived from the new English owners of the Welgelegen estate who originated from Melton Mowbray, in England.
