January 2025

In last week’s post, we shared our stay at Mansfield Private Reserve (read here). With the reserve just 11km/9 miles from Port Alfred, we decided to swap the wild animals of Mansfield for an hour or two for the beach and historic buildings of this beautiful seaside town.

With the temperature already rising above 30°C/86°F during late morning, we decided the beach was the best place to explore first.

My mum and I at the familiar yellow frame on Port Alfred’s beach

The Kowie River finds its way through the center of Port Alfred where it eventually flows into the Indian Ocean. Some of you may remember that Berto and I spent a weekend on a houseboat on this river back in 2022 (read here and here).

Jet ski on the Kowie River

Kowie River

Houses and restaurant on the river bank

Kowie River flows into the Indian Ocean

There were quite a few people enjoying the warm weather on the beach. The beaches of Port Alfred (called East and West Beach) are very popular under the locals and visitors. East Beach is a dog friendly beach and a sought after surfing hot spot.

The golden sand of East Beach

Ocean Bliss Café at East Beach

However, we didn’t spend too much time on the beach. We were keen to visit a famous historic street in Port Alfred and after wiping the sea sand off our feet, we drove to Wharf Street.

Wharf Street:

Wharf Street is Port Alfred’s oldest street with a number of historic buildings. The first ship entered the Kowie River in 1821 and so the settlement of Port Alfred was born. Wharf Street was the first commercial street in Port Alfred dating back to 1821.

Wharf Street in Port Alfred

Old anchor and wall in Wharf Street on the bank of the Kowie River

Views over the Kowie River from Wharf Street

Mural in Wharf Street

It was the beautifully decorated name of Sparg’s Furnishers that drew us closer – especially when we saw the words “antique eclectic old and new”. Here you can find every type of piece of furniture you can think of. Although there are new furniture and appliances, it was the old furniture such as wash tables, chairs and tea sets that fascinated us. We were so amazed that we didn’t take a single photo inside. But I would suggest if you’re driving through Port Alfred, stop by Sparg’s Furnishers … we’re definitely going to visit them again (and this time with a trailer behind our ‘bakkie’).

Sparg’s Furnishers

The other two buildings we couldn’t miss were The Little Brewery and The Wharf Street Pub & Grill. The Little Brewery produces craft beer and The Wharf Street Pub & Grill is primarily a restaurant (with beer and wine).

Two of our favourite kind of buildings next to each other

While we were taking pictures of the buildings, one of the staff members of The Wharf Street Pub & Grill appeared in the front door and invited us in with the words “If you want to see something special, come inside”.

The Wharf Street Pub & Grill

Inside the pub

As we walked in, one of the regular customers sitting at a table welcomed us – well, he and his dog.

Customer and his dog

The staff member invited us to follow him down a set of stairs. Here was another little quirky restaurant.

Taking the stairs down

Another smaller eating area downstairs

At first, we thought it was this area the friendly man wanted to show us, but then he walked over to a dark and long tunnel. Rumour has it, that wine barrels were transported from the ships on the Kowie River to the buildings in Wharf Street. Slaves in handcuffs forwarded the barrels through the tunnel one by one.

A tunnel that may date back to the early 1800s

Old wine barrels in the tunnel

If these walls could talk

We took the stairs back to the main restaurant and decided it was quite appropriate to enjoy a beer here (well, my mum thought it was still a bit too early and she decided on a non-alcoholic drink).

Beers (and a cold drink) in a historic building in Wharf Street

On the walls are lots of old photos from bygone days and it was great to read more about the history of Port Alfred and what it was like 200 years ago.

Photographs depicting the history of Port Alfred

Port Alfred’s original name was Port St. Francis and subsequently had quite a few more name changes. But after Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Alfred, visited in 1860, the name was changed in his honour. By the way, he was the first member of the royal family to visit South Africa.

Prince Alfred, after whom Port Alfred is named

We spent a lovely morning in Port Alfred. There is probably still a lot we could go and see, but we wanted to go back to Mansfield again to look for more wild animals. Oh, the choices one has to make – a weekend is always too short!

I remembered a photo we took of Wharf Street from the houseboat in July 2022. I’m glad that now, almost three years later, we had the opportunity to explore this street on foot.

Wharf Street as seen from a houseboat on the Kowie River (photo taken in 2022)

Of course, I can’t help but end this post with a photo of the beautiful Nico Malan Bridge, which was completed in 1972. It is a 17-metre-high bowstring girder bridge where the R72 coastal road crosses the Kowie River – a distinctive feature of Port Alfred’s skyline.

Nico Malan Bridge (photo taken during our houseboat weekend in 2022)