The Paper Nautilus or Argonauta Argo
11th March 2015Brief History of Bretton Beach Crest
This is a photo of our beach in the 1970's with a few houses already started south of the golf course.
As resident owners of Bretton Beach Crest, we have lived here since October 1984, 30 years already. Lee's parent's Frank and Gift Gardner started Bretton Beach Crest in the late 1960's with the first 3 cottages, then a further 6 and then built our house where we live today. It was originally part of farm land on the outskirts of Port Alfred and they subdivided and sold off 10 x 10 acre properties all with the high water mark as our southern boundary. When we first got here there were cows on the hillside behind with only a few houses as Forest Downs was only starting to develop and there are so many houses there now.
My father built the popular kiddies tidal pool we still have in front of the cottages by building a wall between the rocks over a few of the spring low tides in the 1970's. In those days the December crowd stayed for the whole month of December, returning for many years. In fact, names I recall are the van der Walt's, Coopers, Hardys, Keeys who have now retired to Port Alfred or have holiday homes in town. The Starlings also came for +- 27 years, just the 2 of them coming out of season once the children left school.
We thank many of our loyal supporters who have stayed with us all these years, like the Coombs family who have come every year for their 2 week xmas holiday for the past 23/24 years now. We have such a wonderful unique natural setting in the coastal dunes, a major attraction for our guests.
These were photos they gave us from their early days and when the groceries were delivered on horseback from the local corner shop in town.
The trees now makes a total arch over the roadway up this hill.