St Francis Bay, Sunshine Coast

Touted as the country’s answer to ‘little Venice’, St Francis Bay lies just 90 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth - a series of little man-made canals and waterways that lend themselves perfectly to boating, swimming and other water sports.

St Francis Bay is the playground of dolphins, whales and the wealthy, the bay magnificent with a white sandy beach that offers some of the safest bathing on the coast and some fine opportunities to fish on the rocks. Surfers flock here, as they do to most of this part of the coast, for its waves; and the fabulous beaches are surrounded by nature reserves, making them alive with the calls of birds and an incredible escape from the city lifestyle that ensnares most of us.

It gets pretty tricky around here to remember just which St Francis you’re in. The bay includes Port St Francis, St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay. St Francis Bay lies alongside Cape St Francis at the estuary of the Kromme River, navigable for about 10 kilometres with many twists and turns that make it an amazing stretch along which to boat.

Essentially a little holiday village, St Francis Bay includes a marina and a wonderful collection of white-walled thatched homes set right on the waters of the canals. The small boat harbour here offers sheltered anchorage for fishing vessels and other ocean going vessels, and each home has its own mooring.

The St Francis Lighthouse, erected to warn ships of the reef that juts out beyond Sea Point, almost a kilometre out to sea, now marks one of the ‘corners’ of the African coast. The Irma Booysen Flora Reserve lies close by and offers some wonderful opportunities to see local fynbos. Otherwise, your time is given over to pleasure, eco and river cruises, surfing, swimming and generally enjoying the good life.