| Launch of the Darwin Trail |
| Media Releases |
| Written by Administrator |
| Wednesday, 30 September 2009 08:39 |
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The Darwin Trail Map has been produced to enable you to follow the route that Charles Darwin took when he visited Cape Town This easy to consult publication is the perfect companion for those that enjoy history, hiking and heritage. The map will be distributed to schools, tourism bureaux at the various spots that are significant on the Trail and a number of other institutions. The map was launched at Stellenbosch University using their Interactive Telematic Technology system to broadcast via satellite to ten schools: Aloe Secondary, Sinethemba Secondary, Manyano High School, Perseverance Secondary, Ashton Secondary, Desmond Tutu Secondary , Noorder Paarl Sec, Mandlenkosi Secondary, Naphakade Secondary and Albert Myburgh Secondary. Simon’s Bay was the original port of entry on 31 May 1836. Darwin then set out for Cape Town by way of Wynberg, Claremont and Observatory. Sea Point was definitely on his itinerary. He then went on a four day excursion, accompanied by an English speaking Hottentot guide that took him first to Paarl. Darwin went up to up onto the vast granite boulder that is Paarl Rock. The significance of this massive granite outcrop and, what today is referred to as the Sea Point Contact, showed conclusively that the catastrophic geological event that produced the melting and fusion of rocks posed a question that geological orthodoxy could not convincingly answer. The manner in which the granite and clay-slate combined at Sea Point posed a ‘great difficulty’ on the ‘ordinary theory, of granite having been injected whilst liquefied’ Darwin observed. Instead, ‘we must conclude, that it has been here formed by the metamorphic action, a circumstance doubted, under nearly similar circumstances, by some authors’. Obvious today, it was one of those remarkable general laws of nature that Charles Lyell always encouraged Darwin to formulate. Indeed, it confirmed Lyell’s new theory of geological change. Charles Darwin then travelled through Franschhoek, over the pass to Houwhoek, crossed Sir Lowry’s Pass and through the Cape Flats back to Cape Town. The Darwin Trail provides a wonderful journey through some amazing landscapes and to a range of significant sites and sights. It also provides an opportunity for re-assessing what Darwin’s visit contributed to his work and ultimately to his major contribution to modern science. The establishment of the Darwin Trail, with the informative Darwin Map will provide many new insights into the man and that historic visit in 1836. Charles Darwin was 27 years old at the time. Of the thirteen ports where HMS Beagle called on its homeward voyage from South America to England, it stayed longer at Simon’s Bay than anywhere else except for the Galapagos Islands. For Darwin, it was an opportunity for some important observations and significant meetings that made a meaningful contribution to his scientific thought. The Darwin Trail Map will be available from Cape Town Tourism, Tourism Bureaux, Iziko Museums, MTN Sciencentre or can be collected from the Africa Genome Education Institute |
In 1836 Charles Darwin spent 18 days in and around Cape Town. In 2009, the year that we are celebrating his Bicentennial, the importance of his visit to the Cape aboard the HMS Beagle is being reassessed. The actual route he followed has been plotted and forms what is now designated as the Darwin Trail.