#SoutherLine - Discovering the Deep South of Cape Town

Just the previous day, we had taken a young family plus another friend along on Metrorail via the #SouthernLine. One commercial airline pilot, one boutique manager, two work-from-home mothers and two grandchildren aged five and two. It was the two kiddies' first train ride, ever. Of course, someone from the media was required to document it all, that would be me, of course.  After meeting with a very reluctant Katie and after an airline pilot first inspected the cockpit of an aged Class 6E1 electric locomotive, we were ready for the shiny 10M3 train awaiting us.  Katie?  Oh, she is a 1929-ish old lady burning fossil fuels and blowing clouds of steam, a Class 19DA locomotive, presently the darling of Monument Station in Cape Town.  Among her passengers at Atlantic Rail, were the Schoemans from Klerksdorp, a loyal Prasa family if ever there was one!



Our train soon departed and we sped through the leafy Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, past Victorian architecture, mosques, churches, modern retail centres and even the odd brewery, towards the Zandvlei lake and then Muizenberg, where train meets ocean. From here onward, the railway line intimately hugged the serpentine coastline, creating lovely photo opportunities if not presenting the passenger with the most beautiful oceanside vistas from a moving train anywhere on this planet. Yes, that is the truth: no other coastal train in the world gets better than this.

Their first ever train journey!


Due to many metric tons of sea sand on the tracks, courtesy of the howling South-Easter of a few days prior, our train terminated at Fish Hoek, from where we were taken by luxury coach to our final destination, Simon's Town. The very kind and attentive Mr Siya Madala of Metrorail went out of his way to assist with the bulky baby stroller.

We spent our day experiencing Simon's Town's Jubilee Square, paying our respects to SS Mendi and Just Nuisance, then visited the SA Navy Museum, before heading back towards St James where an impromptu picnic ensued. And a certain amateur photographer took video footage of waves breaking against rocks, but did not get to shoot the two sharks that suddenly breached about 600-800m offshore, as the little compact cannot "see" that far.  All too soon, our little party headed back to Cape Town, content after a day's outing on the scenic #SouthernLine.  That was on Sunday, April 9, 2017.

St James - rocks for whale watching!


Hop on, hop off.  That is how we did it. Metrorail offers a Tourist Pass which comes in tow flavours, either a 1 Day or 2 Day pass.



Monday, April 10, 2017.
We met the Schoeman family at the Tourism Desk on Cape Town Station, where the visitor can get directions, travel advice and information from accredited travel agents.  It were Keith Edwards and Caelin Ross Reynolds who showed us to our train.  This time, we boarded a much older 5M; these were manufactured between 1962 and 1988 but still do service every day. Following the same route as the previous day, many videos and photos were taken along the way. Mrs Hannetjie Terblanche-Schoeman is a well-known train stalker and volunteer brand ambassador, who does a lot to promote tourism in general and rail tourism in particular. As they were on holiday from the Northwest, we could not resist showing them the treasures of the South Peninsula aka The Deep South.
At Simon's Town Metrorail Station, we were welcomed by Thabile of HGTS Tours, conveniently located on the first floor at the town side of the station building. HGTS offer various tours, including Cape Point, the penguins at Boulders, etc. Thabile introduced us to our driver for the day, Fabian, who took us to our first destination in his very neat Quantum mini coach - and he stopped along the way for us to take a few photos, as we followed the bending road up the mountainside to our first stop.

At Mariner Guesthouse we were welcomed by Liesel Coetzer, offered croissants, muffins and coffee. Our guests from the Northwest had the opportunity to discover, take in the exquisite views and take photos - and to ask a few questions.  Perhaps this well-appointed guest house would be ideal especially for couples, but they also offer inter-leading family accommodation. As an upmarket venue, expect to be offered a quality stay.

View from Marine Guesthouse


We greeted and left, as Fabian was in readiness to take us to the Simon's Town Museum.  We were taken on a short tour by Margaret, who added so much colour to our short visit. We saw so many interesting things, but time was too short to take it all in. We need to visit this lovely museum yet again - when you walk in our footsteps, set aside a full day to visit this excellent museum, the SA Navy Museum and the Toy Museum.

"Museum Pieces"


Lunch was waiting at The Gosvenor Guest House & Self-Catering and owner Debbie Smuts was there to receive us. Keith Edwards joined us as we had a lunch of lovely pies baked by a local artisanal baker; we also had a lovely salad. While we had a discussion on tourism marketing, our guests were taken by the butler to view the various rooms, cottages and apartments, set in different buildings adjacent to or across the short street from the main building.

Lunch at Grosvenor

Our guests were duly impressed and we left for Boulders, where the penguin colony afforded us a photo taking opportunity.  This is where our day officially ended and we greeted Keith and Fabian, then set off on our own to the SA Navy Museum.   Like the Simon's Town Museum, a wealth of items on display, with its rich naval history interwoven with everyday life of this quaint harbour town. Some buildings really date back to the 1700's.

Penguin Family at Boulders

Prior to our return, we first enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at the almost legendary Harbourview Restaurant, enjoying great food, beautiful harbour views and the unbeatable friendliness of night manager Noleen and her staff.

Harbourview Restaurant never disappoints!

We would like to thank Daphne Kayster and Keith Edwards of Metrorail for planning such a lovely day out for our guests from up north. Also, we would like to thank our various hosts of the day for being so hospitable - even the penguins wore tuxedo's to impress us all!

We made our way home via Metrorail, arriving well after dark, just in time to see the ShosholozaMeyl train draw into the station. With hours, my wife and I were on that same platform, departing to Klerksdorp where we visited Quinten Pendle, the gifted blind musician, music producer and radio DJ of PerronFM. Of course, we had the opportunity to tell others about Simon's Town, how to travel there, where to stay, things to do and, of course, where to eat!


Let me leave you with some handy contact information:
  • Mariner Guest House Telephone +27 79 514 8978
  • Grosvenor Guest House & Self-Catering +27 21 786 4052
  • Simon's Town Museum +27 21 786 3046
  • Boulders Penguin Colony +27 21 786 1758
  • SA Navy Museum +27 21 787 4686
  • Harbourview Restaurant +27 21 786 1431


















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