Among the many attractions of living at Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate is being within earshot of one of the prettiest swimming beaches in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Residents Nicola Brown and Cecile du Preez acknowledged that having this pristine playground within a three minutes’ drive had been a key factor in their decision to buy in the Gqeberha estate.
“It was a huge selling point for us,” noted Brown. “One of the big things we wanted when we moved back to PE was for our children to grow up at the ocean and we’ve always loved Sardinia Bay.”
She said they viewed the beach as an extension of the estate, which features free-roaming wildlife, indigenous flora, a nine-hole golf course and recreation centre.
“Whether it is for a quick sundowner or for the children to play, it really is wonderful to live down the road.”
Du Preez, a pet-lover and exercise enthusiast, said they used every opportunity to walk their dog on the beach and to do the Sacramento Trail.
“It was definitely a factor in us moving here from Mill Park and it was also a very pleasant surprise to discover that we could hear the ocean from our house,” she said.
“I may be a bit biased because we have always been beach-loving people, but it really is one of the nicest beaches on our coastline and we feel privileged to have it so close.”
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Their move to Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate was “the best ever”, according to Kathy van Onselen.
“My husband was born and bred in Gqeberha and the plan was to move back when he retired. It’s fabulous that we can hear the sea at night and that the beach is within walking distance.”
She has joined a walking group at the estate that ventures to either the beach or Sacramento Trail each Monday.
Sardinia Bay was proclaimed a marine protected area (MPA) in 2000. This collaboration between the community and government promotes conservation and safeguards threatened marine species, which means no fishing in the area.
It is adjacent to the Sardinia Bay Nature Reserve and stretches for 7km between the communities of Schoenmakerskop and Seaview and one nautical mile out to sea.
Boating, surfing, diving, snorkelling and scuba-diving are popular activities and it is one of the few beaches that allows dogs, albeit only on leashes.
Sardinia Bay does not have a coastal road, which minimises opportunities for seaside developments and therefore helps to maintain the natural environment.
On the Sacramento Trail, an 8km roundtrip to Schoenies and back, a mass of shells tells the story of the Strandloper people who lived there centuries ago.
A perfectly preserved bronze cannon at the far end bears testimony to the sad ending of the Portuguese galleon, the Sacramento, which sunk along the coast in 1647.
Sards, as it is known by locals, is flanked by sand dunes on the one side and the ocean on the other.
To the left, a number of rock pools and swimming bays at the start of the trail are perfect for families with young children. Straight ahead is a swimming area complete with lifeguards and to the right a sandy white beach that seems to go on forever.
There is a parking area with ablutions less than 100m from the beach.
In February, the average temperature is around 24 degrees Celsius with the water a pleasant 21 degrees.