Seaside Settlement
In the 16th century, Portugeuse explorers landed at the Breede River mouth and found delight in the surrounding bay, as it held promise of fine natural anchorage.
Navigator Manuel De Mesquita Perestrello named it St. Sebastian’s Bay. In the 17th century, Scottish Captain Benjamin Moodie established the Port Beaufort Trading Company, opening the bay up to trade. There are numerous vessels that sank at Witsand from the 16th to the 20th century. These included merchant and sailing ships.
In the early 20th century, settlers started erecting accommodation next to the Breede River mouth on land owned by the Moodie family. The village White Sands was established on the farm of Westfield, which bordered St Sebastian’s Bay and in the south western corner of the farm was a spot marked on early maps as “Whitesands” because of the moving white sand dunes in that area. Witsand was proclaimed a town in 1909.
The small, peaceful town of Witsand is located at the mouth of the Breede River, in the Western Cape. Witsand is virtually synonymous with t...