On the northern side of the city are the Umgeni River Mouth and the up-market area of Durban North. Just north of the city is Umhlanga, a popular holiday area noted for its fine beaches, surrounding environment and excellent leisure and shopping centres.
Umhlanga means "Place of Reeds" in the Zulu language, referring to the beds of reeds that accumulate on the banks of the Ohlanga river a few Kilometers North of present day Umhlanga Rocks.
The area used to be part of a coastal dune forest system many years ago and provided sanctuary to a multitude of bird and wildlife species of which many can still be found in bird, marine, and wildlife preserves in and around the area today.
This seaside resort of Umhlanga was originally part of the sugar estate of Sir Marshall Campbell, who introduced the colourful rickshaws to Durban’s beachfront. When a track was made from Mount Edgecombe to Umhlanga Rocks, the area became popular with the local farmers who leased small plots on the shoreline of the ocean and built vacation cottages. In 1931 Umhlanga Rocks became a village and additional cottages, hotels, guest houses and stores were built.
The first beach cottage, the Oyster Box, was built in 1869 and became the present day Oyster Box Hotel. The tin roof of this cottage was used as a navigational beacon, until the automatic lighthouse was built in 1953. The Natal coast is Great White Shark territory and in the late 1950’s a number of serious shark attacks occurred, so in 1962 the first shark nets were erected. Now you can swim in safety and sunbathe on the glorious beaches.
Just 15 minutes north of Durban, Durban North and Umhlanga have become the playgrounds of the young and old who visit this Indian Ocean resort to experience miles of attractive beaches and an array of sophisticated shopping malls. In spite of Umhlanga's phenomenal growth rate, much of its village ambience has been retained and Umhlanga has become a premier holiday resort for sun worshippers and fun seekers alike. The Gateway Shopping and Entertainment Centre, is the largest shopping and entertainment centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
Visit the InfoHub Portal -- Umhlanga Business Directory.
| Sponsored
Links: |
 |
| KwaZulu Natal |
 |
| Umhlanga |
|
|
KwaZulu Natal
For more on Umhlanga use the navigation on the right.
