Discovering Hermanus, the Whale Coast Town

By Riesa Maree

Tucked along the rocky shoreline of the Western Cape, about an hour and a half from Cape Town, Hermanus is one of South Africa's most loved coastal towns. It began life as a small fishing village and still keeps that gentle, unhurried feeling, even as visitors arrive from all over the world.

Hermanus is most famous for its whales. Every winter and spring, Southern Right whales come into Walker Bay to calve, often just metres from the cliff path. The town even has a "whale crier" who walks the streets blowing a kelp horn to announce where the whales have been seen. For an artist, there is nothing quite like watching these huge, gentle animals roll through the water below.

A landscape that asks to be painted

Beyond the bay, the town is wrapped in dramatic scenery: the Kleinrivier mountains, the wild fynbos of the Overberg, golden beaches and the ever-shifting light of the Atlantic. The colours change by the hour: soft pinks at dawn, deep blues at midday, warm gold in the late afternoon. This is the world I paint from.

A creative community

Hermanus has long drawn painters, potters and photographers. Small galleries line the streets, and a weekend market brings local makers together. It is a place where creativity feels natural, perhaps because the landscape gives you so much to respond to.

If you ever find yourself on the Whale Coast, walk the cliff path early in the morning, watch for a spout of water in the bay, and you will understand exactly why so many of my paintings begin here.