Passing of the years captured in massive development

Staff Reporter|Published 4 months ago

Even with its provenance as Artco postcard No 552 visible on this old picture of Lucien Beach ‒ then labelled ‘Margate’s beautiful beach’ ‒ it was impossible to establish when this picture was taken. It seems very few of the buildings in this image, apart from possibly a few of the homes in the background, have survived modern-day development.

Few words are necessary in today’s Then & Now feature ‒ one look at the pictures shot from Lucien’s Point shows the spectacular growth along Margate’s Lucien Beach.

Who wouldn’t want a piece of this magnificent view, with one thing that remains from the past: the annual passing by of whales, slapping their tails and blowing fountains, from July to December, and dolphins playing all-year-round on this lovely stretch of the Hibiscus Coast.

Set on the opposite end of Margate’s main beach, Lucien Beach has permanent lifeguards making it safe to swim in between bouts of lounging on the large beach area or dunking your toes and your curiosity in the tidal pool.

The new picture of Lucien Beach shows a beachfront crowded with development and few of the original buildings remaining. Picture: Shelley Kjonstad

The waters are great for surfing, swimming, hydrofoiling and stand-up paddling.

There is a small shop and an arts and crafts market around the parking lot.

Steep stairs leading from the parking area to the beach, with no ramp access, so it is not accessible to the physically disabled.

Margate is 25 minutes outside Port Edward and about 1.5 hours from the Durban CBD. Uvongo Beach is just a short stroll away.