Betty's Bay

Betty's Bay is a small holiday town situated on the Overberg coast of South Africa's Western Cape province. It is located 100 km from Cape Town beneath the Kogelberg Mountains on the scenic R44 ocean drive between Pringle Bay and Kleinmond. This village stretches over 13 km along the coast. Tourism plays a large role in the town's economy due to its popularity with holiday makers from across the Western Cape and Cape Town in particular.

Betty's Bay Bettysbaai
Betty's Bay
Betty's Bay Show map of Western Cape Betty's Bay Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 34.363°S 18.885°E / -34.363; 18.885
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Overberg
Municipality	Overstrand
Area [1]
• Total	20.99 km2 (8.10 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	1,381
• Density	66/km2 (170/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	3.7%
• Coloured	21.1%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	72.6%
• Other	2.3%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Afrikaans	60.5%
• English	36.5%
• Other	3.0%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box	7141
Area code	028

Betty's Bay coastline near the Palmiet River mouth

During colonial times Betty's Bay was allegedly a favourite place for runaway slaves, and in 1912 Betty's Bay became a formal whaling station running up until the 1930s. Remains of the whaling station can still be seen at Stony Point.[2]

Bettys Bay is named after Betty Youlden, daughter of the first developer of the area Arthur Youlden.[3]

Betty's Bay contains the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden as well as an African penguin colony in the Betty's Bay Marine Protected Area, which is one of the two biggest Penguin colonies in the area of the Western Cape.