S1 - Ep 375 - Richards Bay - Towering Mounds Navigated by Bulldozers!
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2023
- We reached Richards Bay, our destination for the night, under the cover of darkness. As we ventured into the city, it became evident that industry thrived here, which stirred our curiosity. Following a rejuvenating rest, we embarked on a morning of exploration. Our discoveries were captivating, none more so than the Woodchip Glade, where wood was transformed into chips on an impressive scale. Towering mounds of these chips, occasionally navigated by hefty bulldozers, left us in awe. The journey towards the pier and the beach was a highlight, offering breathtaking views. Fishermen on the pier exuded joy, while the charming little lighthouse at the far end added to the picturesque scene. Overall, our time in Richards Bay left us with a sense of fulfilment. #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #travelongravel #kwazulunatal #richardsbay
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NAILED IT.....!!!!!!!
You did! 🤣🚙 I can't say I'm surprised either!
@@DustBugsTravel good guess but you nailed the video as well. I have actually never been there myself so thanks for picking me up. Toot toot see you in the next episode
Loved Richard's Bay!
There's a lot to love in Richards Bay. I'm glad you enjoyed! 🚙😁
Beautiful place really enjoyed the ride interesting ❤❤❤❤❤
Richards Bay is for sure an interesting place, we enjoyed our visit very much too! 🚙🤩
Thanks for paying my evergreen hometown a visit!😊 Never appreciated it until my 40's.😢 In my 20's and 30's I was only interested in the big cities and the bright lights. The town is still called Richards Bay. Umhlatuze City is the wider area that combines Richards Bay (NRB number plates) and Empangeni town (NUF), which is about 10 km's away.
Thanks for watching our video of your hometown! 🚙😍 I understand your appreciation for your town, there is a lot to appreciate! Now we understand the name of Umhlatuze City, we appreciate the clarification.
I'm so glad to see you visited Richards Bay. As a resident of Mtunzini you showed me places I've never seen before! Thank you very much ❤
I'm happy to hear you enjoy travelling with us, we appreciate you hopping on board each time! 🚙😁 Richards Bay is a cool place! 😎
How i.miss my hometown. Currently live in Capetown and would give anything to go back to the glory days growing up RB/ Empangeni❤
Oh man my home-town how I miss the place, currently in Perth Western Australia, ran away from apartheid, I said lots, so the government than started their following me rubbish. That sign made me cry, "Empangeni Richards Bay". Enjoyed your travel, thankyou.There are massive snakes in that little river, I saw one crossing the road.On that pier I used to fish and catch huge salmon and shad, OMG thankyou, I am crying with joy seeing my town.
Nice video, You wil notice that Richards Bay is very flat not many hills in Richards Bay!
I'm glad you enjoyed! That's interesting, we didn't notice that. We did see the woodchip hills though, they were rather cool! 🚙😁
@@DustBugsTravel Yes very cool!
I was in Richards Bay in 1976 working on construction of the Smelter Plant for the Richards Bay Minerals Project. Obviously it is unrecognisable. There were only a few houses, two little hotels, and I can only remember one small "shopping centre". All of us had to stay in the caravan park. I do remember a sign on the river saying beware of crocodiles and sharks, because at low tide one was a danger and at high tide the other one was. Only the type of bush is recognisable. To get to the beach you had to go over the sand dune that ran all along the coast.
My father works at that Woodchip mill for many years now. Those woodchips went through a chipper machine and will later be exported through the harbour.
No pulp is produced at this mill, only woodchips.
You guys are giving me a treat of my life, Richards Bay, spent some good times there. Close to the St Lucia estuary and the greater lake St Lucia lake, Umfolozi and Hluhluwe game park. Beautiful part of the world. The Boland, Western where I live now cannot match.
I'm glad you're enjoying the parts of KZN we visited, along with us! 🚙😁 We thoroughly enjoyed visiting this beautiful province again. We're also Western Capers and we don't really compare the places we visit to the area where we live. For us, the Western Cape is magnificently beautiful as well and we're very happy here. 😍
@@DustBugsTravel you quite right sir, I should not have compared, the Drakenstein area where I live has its own fair share of natural beauty.
I regularly visited my parents who were living in Richards Bay at the construction of the Triomf plant there (now this same plant is owned by Foskor as per your video) & the start of phosphoric acid there at the Triomf plant in 1976 mostly for export. My Dad was the GM there at that time & in charge of that plant for Triomf. Both Louis Luyt the owner of Triomf & my Dad have passed away some 20 odd years ago. My parents lived in the very new Meerensee suburb which as I understood it at the time, got it's name from the suburb situated between the meer (lake) & the see (sea). Just sent u this comment for some extra info! Regards Carien Berry (nee Fourie)
Hi guys love the night drive big forests spot on accommodation as per usual nice you were in the oldest suburb still got some biltong stocking up tomorrow another record deepest harbour!! East Side of Africa love the story of Jon Ross and his amazing journey
I always love how you can drive to the river down a gravel track. The area is definitely a large industrial area wood chip mountains with bulldozer on top crazy the big fertiliser plant shows what an important industry it is !!! A lot of the Fort in the UK comes from Russia so its very expensive for the farmers with the war going on in Ukraine. Love the banter about aluminium in USA lol .the trains from Swaziland is interesting reminds me of when me and my pal hitched to Swaziland got a lift with a crazy guy drive a wood truck flying round the roads drinking beer 🍺 😳 I've got to say it beware hippos only in SA the waterfront area seems very up market spotless and well organised interesting chat with the French yachtsman the guys fishing I could almost smell the sea all those sand bags must have corrosion of th beach ? Loved that the history of city goes back to the Anglo Zulu war .big civic centre and University all positive and again you were lucky to be at the sports centre when the kids were having a competition fantastic loved the ordered vibe of the place like your selves a new one on me. What I love about these videos is its so down to earth and your enthusiasm makes me enjoy every minute thanks for taking me along cheerio till the next one
Sonia loved the garlic biltong! Now that's all she wants and we don't get that locally! 😬🥓 I live it that you still top up your own stash. Biltong is the best! As you know, we're not too keen on driving after dark, but there are just not enough hours in the day! It was cool seeing those industries at night! 😎🏭 You sure have some stories to tell! That hitched ride with the truck driver from Swaziland sounds hectic, you can be glad you lived to tell the tale of that one! 😨🚚 I agree with you, I think the waves get quite rough in that area and the sandbags help prevent erosion. 🌊 I enjoyed the chat with the French yachtsman and I can't help but wonder how long they still had to sit around waiting for Immigration to clear their paperwork. We love having you on board as we travel to all these places and it's great to hear that you love and enjoy our videos so much. Thank you. 🚙😊
You will be sad to know that those mountains of woodchips burned for about 2 weeks recently. But thanks to brave firemen and the community the fire was put out before big damage to the surrounding area.
Hi, I live in Meerensee and have seen all those places you visited and even volunteered at the NSRI. You made me realise what a Gem we have. Thanks
Many many years ago, I lived in Richard Spain as an American. I got married there and had my second child there. We’re long gone from South Africa by now. I still miss Richard Bay. I miss South Africa. I miss the wonderful kind people there. Thank you so much for your travel vlog and showing me what I miss. ❤
We lived in Veld En Vlei suburb, and my first child went to the primary school there.
That's the Zululand Yacht Club at 33:11 ,
the most best yacht club in South Africa, a hippo sighting happens every other day, I believe a crocodile sighting happened around the time this video was posted🤙⚓
My awesome people🥰...We appreciate you
The feeling is entirely mutual! 🚙😁
I enjoyed the scenery, lovely place. When we read about KZN it is normally very negative news but it is nice to see there are some positive things as well. We will keep quiet about the coal yes.....
Yes, at least we were top of the coal heap at some point. I'll leave it at that. 🤷🏻♂️ We found Richards Bay an ultra cool place with so much going on and all the things that keep the economy ticking over. It was good to see. 👌🏻🏭 And of course the beautiful scenery is always a plus and luckily there was enough of that too! So glad you could join us! 🚙😁
A very nice visit. I loved all that you showed us. Really a big town with a lot happening there. Thank you i am looking forward to the next one as i know you will keep my seat
There's for sure a lot happening in Richards Bay and it was all super cool and exciting to us! 🏭🛥️ I'm so glad you also enjoyed this industrial town which is lucky to still have so much spectacular natural beauty around too. 🌊🌳 Seat booked for tomorrow! Don't be late! 🚙😁
I did not mind paying the tolls to St Lucia, lots of them as you stated, but no potholes like in the North West, and the roads are a pleasure to drive on!!
The roads were a pleasure to drive on. I think they'll have a problem charging toll and still not maintain the roads, so one would expect no potholes on toll roads. 🛣️🚙 Road conditions don't really bother us too much, but a smooth drive on tar is always welcome! 😁🇿🇦
Yes, money has to come from somewhere to keep the roads in good condition, it certainly is not being provided from any other sources!
The gatekeeper 🐒 😂. Thanks for showing me the places, I never been. Beautiful 🇿🇦❤️ Country
Hi there, what a journey you guys are on, might you always be safe in your travels.
Next time you visit the harbour, please stop by us at Lebanese On The Bay, we would like to invite you for lunch or dinner and give you the experience of some of my home flavours
The rail still works. Dedicated track goes to the coal terminal too
Enjoyed Your walk through a lot.. just a pity you missed Pelican Island and Dead Tree Channel
"Aluminium" versus "Aluminum." Funny, having grown up in the US, yet having taught in Namibia under Cambridge School System, I had to learn Aluminium amd many other words in science. Hard to drop it once returning to States. The vegetation next to the fertilizer (fertiliser, here we go again) plant doesn't seem to mind the extra help. Great channel.
I'm so glad you enjoy our videos! I had to chuckle when I read your comment. 🤣 Our US colleagues found certain words we use often like 'robot' super weird and funny. 🚥 I can only imagine how difficult it must've been for you to unlearn some words and pronunciations again when you returned to the US after having spent some time in Namibia. One picks up new words so quickly, like for us a shopping trolley will forever be a cart! 🛒 Let's not even talk about the spelling with the 'z' and 's' and the colors and colours! 🌈 That fertiliser plant was next-level! 🏭
Our beautiful home seen through a refreshing perspective. Thanks for sharing your experience, enjoyed watching.
I love this channel, most expensive toll is in N4 Machadodorp (Machado Plaza) Mpumalanga
I lived in Richards Bay for 30 years. Recently moved away. Interesting fact about the street names you liked - Meerensee street names is called after the types of fish you find in the "meer" and the "see" there. All the streets in Arboretum (place of trees) are named after the local trees. Veldenvlei streets are named after all the shrubs and vleiland plants found there. Birdswood is named after all the birds species in RB. Wildenweide is named after all the small antelope etc found in the bay. Saw this town growing from a small "one cafe - Alpha cafe" and shoprite, one petrol station and no hospital to the place it is today. Still miss the town but it was time to move on.
Something else about the streets , they are in alfabetic order so that you can't get lost
Hi Curtis and Sonya I've loved your travels thru KZN especially Richards Bay and St Lucia the natural vegetation is stunning. It reminds me of Hawaii ( Jurassic Park) without the mountains.
14:32 Richards Bay as a Export harbour is more bio diverse than iSimangaliso Wetlands
In Richards Bay and you guys did not go and see some of the longest trains in Africa running, oh well, maybe next time
35:56 Clean Up team is from uMhlathuze Municipality
14:32 Beautiful Mangroves
33:30 Steel Bridge.. the opposite side.. or down stream from the tidal channel and tidal wier
No high rise buildings; everything seems sprawled out. It's still got the small town feel. Not really a tourist place either. I would imagine that its either work or fishing!😀
These two tourists had a grand old time exploring all the industries! 😁🏭 I think you're spot-on as far as the locals are concerned. Industry, water-related activities and restaurants seem to be where it's happening. It's an organised and functional place though, which was fantastic to see! 🚙👌🏻
We only have one tall building... the hospital The Bay Hospital
38:36 Long Pier.. Dolphin Viewing Platform at the end..some days there is whales close by.. during Winter
35:22 yes Transnet .. but privately developed
14:32 Jip.. Tidal Channel to scour the sediment built up from the ocean through the harbour entrance
38:36 used to host many Yachts and Motor Boats.. but no longer being used as private mooring
nice place we stay more than 40 years here vic mia vernon corne
……
37:24 My favorite Icecream Place
49:20 Yup .. ling pier with Dolphin Viewing Platform
Lovely sunset! Once again, lovely place to stay over. Only one cure for garlic! Have some yourself and you wont smell it. Luckily y late hubby and I both loved garlic. But my brother holds his nose👃 when he hugs me.😂Thank you Sonia for providing us with all the interesting research. Keep it coming! Its one of the highlights of this page. The woodchip mill is very interesting. But to me, it looks like a tree abbatoir. Sorry but I am silly about trees, yes , I know, I know....still affects me...I am such a wuss! Yes, I agree about stuff working, I get the impression that this part of the country is far more functional and less run down than most of the rest. Its very special that you guys tour the industrial areas and not just the scenic ones, I find it so interesting! Aluminium! Yes, our American friends are so funny, when I was over there they laughed at me for saying kilometers! Because I said killer-meters and not kill-laarmitters! And as for robots.....Lebanese food is delicious. Similar to Israeli or even Turkish. Wonderful eggplant, and cheese, labneh with juicy olives, for meat eaters, the lamb is wonderful. Go on, give it a try. Wow! That dolos is ginormus! Remember them well from PE waterfront.
As much as we try and avoid driving in the dark, this was a great drive into Richards Bay that evening. It was very clear then already that this is an industrial town and we were treated to very interesting sights. I'm glad you also enjoyed those! 😁🏭 I often eat garlicky food with my darling wife, but she'll eat it morning, noon and night and I'm not that much of a garlic fan! It's actually quite funny how different, yet the same, American English is from our version. We understand each other at the end of the day though, with a good few chuckles in-between! 🇿🇦🇺🇸 Our accommodation was nice and spacious and we could just sit back, relax and enjoy the evening. We actually share your feelings about the cutting down of trees, but the blow is somewhat softened when we think they're specifically grown for some or other purpose. 🌳💚 Lebanese food sound fantastic, we'll have to give it a try one day. For me, minus the olives! 😬 Thanks for exploring Richards Bay with us, it was a great visit! 🚙
@@DustBugsTravel i know trees are specifically farmed for the industry, same way that chickens, cows, sheep are too. Some day they will be farming humans....but let me not start. Its what it is, hey. ♥️♥️
Yup. 🤷🏻♂️
Aluminium is het Nederlandse woord voor dit materiaal dus misschien is het op die manier ook in het Afrikaans Engels terecht gekomen? Het blijft wonderlijk hoe talen zich ontwikkelen als mensen zich elders vestigen. Van Nederlands naar Afrikaans, wie is er als eerste een variant gaan spreken en hoe verspreidt zich dat dan zo snel onder anderen? Hoe komen de Amerikanen aan hun ‘rollende r’ en de Aussie aan hun typische accent, en dat alles vanuit dezelfde ‘bron taal’ het Engels? Ik blijf het een fascinerend taal verschijnsel vinden.
I would imagine it's very possible that aluminium was taken up in Afrikaans from Dutch. I am completely in agreement with you. Accents are incredibly intriguing and I often wonder exactly the same thing about how the Americans started pronouncing their r's differently to the rest of the world, etc. Same language, yet so very different. Fascinating stuff indeed! 🗣️
49:20 The Dredge that keeps the Harbour Mouth at 19meters
18:09 I thought you were referring to the creature running across the road. Bird or rat, couldn't quite see😂
The small lighthouses you saw are Red and Green and these are international colours and standards showing the entrance to a harbour. Out going the green is on the left (port) and the Red is on the Right (starboard)
Wow - we had our yacht at both the Zululand Yacht Club and at TuzuGazi Marina- Unfortunately you did not pan around towards the little shopping/restaurant complex where we were moored. Did you see any yachts there? maybe they closed down the marina since we left in 2004. Took her up the coast the East Coast on a 7 month cuise which was just magical. Thanks for your videos, you will never know how much we appreciate watching these wonderful nuggets from Canada. Hope to see you in South Africa some time soon.
I wish I could show every viewer everything they'd like to see, but it's just not possible. This trip was a good few months ago already and I can't remember the finer details anymore, so I won't be able to tell you if there were yachts at that spot. ⛵ Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoy our videos. 🚙😁
49:20 South Pier.. much longer than North Pier.. to keep the sediment from ocean flowing into the harbour
Plenty hippo there.
Those cement structures are called Tetrapods (Dollocks) they are I was told a South African invention to stop Beach erosion. I first saw them 40 years ago in PE I was also told they were called Dollocks. Not sure how true that is but have no reason to disbelieve it
30:06 Hippo are nocturnal and there are a few roaming around
49:20 Huge erosion problems to the North of Harbour.. sediment washes all the way to Cape Vidal.. North of St Lucia Estuary
38:36 you missed the dead tree channel and Pelican Island
13:29 Tidal Channel below the Tidal wier..
38:36 Best Curry in the country
36:39 Entrance to Naval Island
WoW wat een actie in deze episode! Industrie, mooie woonwijken, een haven, sportwedstrijden … het is een levendige stad & omgeving, zoveel is wel duidelijk. Die spoorlijn waar je overheen reed, is die nog wel in functie? De Franse zeiler zit daar relax op een goede plek. Ook ik ga over 2 weken weer ‘back to France’, dit keer naar de Cote d’Azur via Dijon, Lyon en Avignon. Eerst nog even wat werken en genieten van jullie avonturen door Zulu land. In Compiègne leerde ik dat de zoon van Napoleon III in de Zulu War sneuvelde. Hij leefde als banneling in de UK en wilde zijn dapperheid bewijzen, dat liep niet helemaal goed af …
Richards Bay is for sure an action-packed place! 🚙🏭 I do believe that train line is still operational with all the industries and the port too. We didn't see any trains running though, although we always hope for one. Or two or three. 😁🚉 Lucky you to be travelling around Europe all the time! You quite literally have the whole world on your doorstep. 🤩🌏 It's fantastic that you make the most of it, enjoy every single moment! We appreciate you hanging out with us all the more, knowing that you could be spending your time checking out another incredible historical place on our own continent. Thank you! 👌🏻
Geniet je Reis door Frankrijk Keep safe now and take care
49:20 Harbour Control
14:19 Fisherman don't leave that mess.. it's Saturday and Sunday Party People.. the drinking squad.. and mostly people using it as a dumping site .. Over weekends you will find fishermen inbetween the party people.. but that mess is not from families fishing
I wonder where they get the wood from.
There are many huge plantations in the area with millions of trees. I'm sure they supply the mills. 🚙🌳
When are you travelling to Hazyview, beautiful small town to visit near Kruger National Park 🏞️
We're very familiar with the area and love Mpumalanga and Limpopo so much, but it's just too far for us at the moment. We have a few ideas, but it'll take intense planning from our side to make it happen. 🚙😁
@@DustBugsTravel Please do so, this channel will make history in the country 🇿🇦
Are the beaches Two Mile Beach and Five Mile Beach still open and how popular are these beaches?
I have no idea. 🌊 This was our first and only visit to the area, so we don't have any in-depth knowledge.
Loving the tours, but can we please get a small corner map to show where you guys are for global context?
I include a map at the beginning of each episode and the animation is extremely time-consuming. It is just not possible for me to include another map. For now, we're only travelling in South Africa. 🚙🇿🇦 We look forward to exploring other parts of the world too in the future.
38:36 Not 5 mile light house..
The main recipient of our aluminium, wood chips, coal and scrap metal are the Chinese. They take all the scrap metal, recycle it, and sell it back to us. We have a coal shortage in SA but strangely enough we can still sell to China. Like our electricity and petrol which we supply cheaper to neighbouring countries. That's why some places in SA seem to work, and others don't. It all depends who stands to profit from it as to whether it is run efficiently or not.
Is too quiet and empty 😕was it in the morning or afternoon?
We arrived late on a Thursday afternoon and left mid-morning on the following day, a Friday. Our footage was shot during these times. 🚙😁
31:02 Not so pretty and clean over weekends.. cleaned up every Monday to Friday..
The steam coming off the woodchips would be from decomposition / composting
Interesting, thanks for the info. 👌🏻
9:31 Not Natural.. totally man made
49:20 when the decision was made to sacrifice Richards Bay/uMhlathuze Wetlands.. and develop St Lucia Estuary as a man made functional Estuary to off set the bio diversity loss