Mossel Bay - Bartolomeu Diaz Museum 
The 500th anniversary of Bartolomeu Diaz's landing in Mossel Bay was marked by the establishment of a large modern museum complex. The reception and information center is housed in the Granary. The Granary, originally built in 1786, was pulled down in the mid 20th C and rebuilt in its original form in 1986. Facing it is the Maritime Museum, in a building which from 1901 onwards was a grain mill and sawmill.
|
Must-see attractions nearby:
|
The museum's star exhibit is a replica of the caravel in which Diaz rounded the Cape in 1488. The vessel was built in Portugal and sailed into Mossel Bay in 1988. Adjoining this museum is the Shell Museum, with a collection of shells from all over the world on the upper floor and aquarium tanks showing living shellfish in their natural environment on the ground floor. The Munrohoek Cottages, built around 1830 and restored in the mid 1980s, are among the oldest buildings in Mossel Bay.
Bartolomeu Diaz Museum
Private Bag X1
Mossel Bay, Western Cape 6500
South Africa
Private Bag X1
Mossel Bay, Western Cape 6500
South Africa
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| Close | 16:45 | 16:45 | 16:45 | 16:45 | 16:45 | 15:45 | 15:45 |
Always closed on:
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Good Friday - Christian (Apr 06)
Good Friday - Christian (Apr 06)
Facilities
Gift shop
Restaurant or food service
Restaurant or food service
Related Attractions
Post Office Tree
Outside Mossel Bay's Shell Museum is the Post Office Tree, a large milkwood tree beside a spring (still existing) from which ships replenished their water supplies. Mariners sailing east used it as a ''letter-box'', letters deposited here being collected and delivered by ships on the homeward voyage.
Local History Museum
The Local History Museum is also part of the Bartolomeu Diaz museum complex. It is housed in a building of 1858 and a larger extension of 1879.
