Did you know?
Using special Post Office Tree stamps, you can mail letters via the famous ‘shoe mailbox’.
Back in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was a seafaring colonial giant, plying the ocean lanes for trade, bounty and new territories.
Sailing around the Cape of Good Hope (often called the 'Cape of Torments' and the 'Cape of Storms') at the southern tip of Africa and up what is now the Garden Route coast was a tricky business.
In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias was the first European explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope, in search of a sea route to the East. He sailed up South Africa's east coast and on February 3, 1488, landed at the present-day Mossel Bay, where he traded with the local Khoi people.
He called it the Watering Place of St Blaize, but it was later renamed by the Dutch as Mossel Bay, in honour of the bountiful supply of mussels in the area.
Dias was followed by other Portugese sailors. In 1500, Captain Pedro Alvares Cabral led a small flotilla of storm-buffeted ships into what is now called Mossel Bay to rest up, repair and ‘re-vittle’.
One of his captains, Pedro d’Ataide, sat down and wrote a letter about their travails, stuck it in an old boot and suspended it from a milkwood tree. Thus was begun the South African postal service.
The letter was picked up and read a year later by Joao da Nova, commander of the Third East India Fleet en route to India. And so the tradition was born, in which sailors bound for the East left messages and packets for others making their way back to Portugal.
The Post Office Tree in Mossel Bay, in the Dias Museum complex, is still in operation. There’s a boot-shaped letterbox at the tree, and twice a day mail is collected from the shoe by a postman.
Later on, the Portuguese opted for Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) as their southern African coastal headquarters, and the Dutch favoured Cape Town. Mossel Bay was bypassed, until Holland annexed it in 1734 as an extension to their Cape Colony.
The Dias Museum encompasses the Maritime Museum and five heritage sites on its grounds near the beachfront – the very site where European explorers first met the indigenous Khoi.
Don't forget to visit the Dias Spring, the constant source of water that supplied seafarers of old - and the museum complex of today. It's just a little walk down the hill from the Post Office Tree.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
How to get here
Mossel Bay lies on the N2 highway in the Garden Route section of the Western Cape. The Dias Museum complex stands near the beachfront.
Best time to visit
The complex is a year-round destination.
Around the area
You're at the southern start of the Garden Route. There are many travel options up the coast or inland.
Tours to do
The Outeniqua Nature Reserve; Knysna Lagoon; lunch at The Deck in Plettenberg Bay; shopping at the many roadside stalls between Mossel Bay and Storms River.
Once you're at the complex, the various museums and exhibits are spread out - ideal for a walking tour.
What will it cost
General walk around the complex: Adults R20, children R10.
Access to the inside of the Portuguese caravel: Adults R40, children R20.
Length of stay
Keep at least 3 hours free for this experience.
Where to stay
Check the Mossel Bay website for accommodation options.
What to eat
Seafood is your best option in Mossel Bay, which prides itself on a wide range of good restaurants.
Check the Mossel Bay site for festivals and events that coincide with the dates of your visit.