Hidden Histories of Hout Bay

Hout Bay was named by the Dutch East India Company after they settled in South Africa in 1652 with the purpose to create a supply point for their ships trading between Asia and Europe. While the Dutch were looking for good sources of timber for the construction of their new colony at the feet of Table Mountain, they found the bay. The bay was covered entirely by beautiful forest, which became to be the perfect wood for the Dutch. It is how they started to settle around here and by the time they called this place “Hout Baai”, meanings “Wood Bay” in English.