Gearing's Point is where you first stop walking in Hermanus. The rock pushes out into the sea right beside the Old Harbour, and from its tip you see from the mountains in the west across to the dune coast of De Kelders in the east. Southern rights often sit directly below the rocks, less than fifty metres out, because the water here is deep enough and the bay shelters them. The war memorial with its two cannons remembers the dead of both world wars; around it is lawn, benches and view.
- of Walker Bay in view
- 180 degrees
- to the Old Harbour
- 50 metres
- no admission
- free
- the best hour for light
- evening
In the morning the place belongs to locals with coffee and a dog, by day to the tour buses, in the evening to everyone. At sunset the mountain behind Hermanus turns red while the bay is already in shadow. The cafés and restaurants of the Old Harbour are fifty metres away, and so is the museum.
- Time needed
- as long as the whales stay
- Cost
- free
- When
- all year, best in the evening
- From the Old Harbour
- right there
Our tipSit on the benches at the eastern edge of the point. You hear the Whale Crier's kelp horn first from there, and you are looking towards Voëlklip at the same time.
Gearing's Point: common questions
Where is Gearing's Point?
Right beside the Old Harbour, two minutes on foot from Market Square. A rocky point with lawn, benches and a war memorial, and 180 degrees of Walker Bay in front of it. There is no admission.
When is the best time at Gearing's Point?
Morning, with the fewest people and low light from the east, or evening, when the mountain behind Hermanus turns red. In season the southern rights often sit less than fifty metres off the rocks.