Mossel Bay
No Hurry. No Worries
The Old Post Office Tree
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008In 1500 Pedro de Alaide, on his return journey from the east, left a letter in a shoe or iron pot under a large tree. In the letter he warned of troubles he had encountered near Calcutta. In 1501 this letter was found by Joao da Nova, en route to India. In this way the first Post Office in South Africa was founded. The large tree, a Milkwood, has been declared a provincial heritage site and is generally known as the Post Office Tree. Any mail posted in the shoe under the tree gets the special post office tree frank. Da Nova was so grateful for de Ataide’s timely warning that he erected a small stone hermitage to be used for religious purposes. This was the first religious building erected in South Africa. The wooden cross stands where it is thought the chapel or hermitage was built.
- Private Bag X1, Mossel Bay, 6500
- Phone: +27 (0)44 691 1067
- Fax: +27 (0)44 691 1915
- Email: info@diasmuseum.co.za
- Homepage: http://www.diasmuseum.co.za
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Excellent, well-maintained roads make driving in the Western Cape pleasant and enjoyable.
