Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas takes its name from the Portuguese word for "needle" after seafarers arrived on the shore and noticed that their compass pointed straight north with no deviation. It is renowned as the southernmost point in Africa and is officially where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Offering a picturesque rocky landscape, there are numerous shipwrecks that have occured off the coast and attest to the stormy seas. Those who buy property here are guaranteed a blissful seaside life. One of the main attractions is the lighthouse, which is still in use today, despite the modern satellite navigation systems that ships now have in place.

Bredasdorp

Where Cape Agulhas is fast-becoming one of South Africa's premier tourist destinations,Bredasdorp is primarily an agricultural region and lies in a lush and fertile valley, producing mostly wool, wheat and dairy. The administrative centre of theOverberg, Bredasdorp is also home to the Heuningberg Nature Reserve, famous for its indigenous fynbos and lilies. With quite a close-knit community, theproperties for sale in the area are mostly farms and smallholdings.

Struisbaai

Struisbaai is a coastal village in theOverberg that boasts the longest stretch of white sand coastline in the Southern Hemisphere, extending an unbelievable 8km. The fishermen's cottages at Hotagterkliphave been declared national monuments and are often featured in the paintings of South African artists. The beautiful surrounding landscape and the ideal seaside lifestyle offered in these parts make Struisbaai, together with the neighbouring communities ofHotagterklip and Molshoop, a popular choice for holiday property investment along the coastline up to Cape Agulhas.

Overberg

Overberg Properties for Sale The various houses for sale in the Overberg generally display a quaint, authentic appeal, but with the area ever-increasing in popularity there are a number of more modern developments andcontemporary homes that have sprung up in recent times. Whether it's a quiet life by the sea that you're interested in or you're simply looking to buy a farm or smallholding in one of theWestern Cape's most beautiful areas, Realty1 Cape Agulhas is bound to have just the right property for you. The Realty 1 Cape Agulhas franchise currently consists of the Struisbaai and Bredasdorp offices. The first serves the Struisbaai, L'Agulhas and Suiderstrand areas, while the other serves the Bredasdorp, Arniston and Napier region. While property prices continue to rise with national trends, Overberg property investment offers excellent value for money, particularly in comparison to other popular areas in the Western Cape

Overberg Attractions

Agulhas National Park The Agulhas National Park offers visitors several nature trails, an environmental education centre and a world-class museum. Among the many other attractions in the park you’ll find the southern most tip of Africa, the famous Agulhas lighthouse and various interesting shipwrecks. Tourists also flock to this fascinating location to view the abundant fynbos of the area. De Hoop Nature Reserve This reserve is situated east of Bredasdorp and is about 34 000ha in size. The De Hoop Marine Protected Area is located next to the reserve and stretches around three nautical miles (5 km) out to sea. The reserve can be explored on four walking trails, an 11km circular drive, on mountain bikes or while snorkelling in the clear rock pools. Whale watching is one of the highlights at the reserve where 120 Southern Right Whales return to the coast annually to mate and calve. Shark Cage Diving Situated around 50 km from Struisbaai you’ll find Gansbaai. Thousands of adrenaline junkies flock to this fisherman’s village to come face to face with the Great White Shark. Shark diving is a major attraction in the Overberg and includes up close and personal encounters with sharks from the safety of a boat or while in a cage under water.

In the wake of its successful 2012 Two Oceans Marlin Tournament, Struisbaai is well positioned to showthe big cities a thing or two about marketing and job creation. So says Strepies van Wyk, principal of sponsor Realty 1 Cape Agulhas. She says the tournament has become a calendar event for the pretty seaside town, attracting not only anglers in their droves but also spectators and other visitors, whose presence is a boost to the local economy.

Johan van der Walt, manager of the Suidpunt Deep Sea Angling Club, explains: “The tournament, which is hosted by our club but belongs to the participants, benefits Struisbaai in a number of ways. Not only does it swell the town's status as a superb holiday destination but it also creates jobs and increases revenue in the hospitality, retail and other sectors.”

Adds Strepies, who has made her branded caravan available for use as a radio base from the very first tournament and contributes financially to other angling competitions: “The local property market is benefiting as a result of anglers deciding to relocate to Struisbaai and accordingly buying permanent homes. Our company has sold a number of properties to participants since the inception of the tournament and we have quite a few potential buyers fromthis particular buyers' pool on our books right now.” Started in 2007 as a result of an abundance of Marlin in its waters, albeit for a short period of time in the year,the tournament really caught the attention of anglers over the years.

This year saw the participation of 155 anglers on 28 boats. In 2007 there was only 4 competing boats. In all, 47 marlin were caught and 46 released (one died after all efforts to revive it failed,according to Johan),translating to a success rate of 97.8 percent. Unusually, the tournament does not owe its popularity to monetary rewards. “There are no cash prizes,” says Johan, adding that participants are by invitation only. “Our rewards are the happy participants and the appreciation we receive fromthe community.”

He concludes by saying: “While I hope the tournament will grow from strength to strength, I amstrongly opposed to it becoming an event where fish are killed left and right”.