Sand River

As you enter St Francis Bay, where main road crosses the Sand River there is a sign warning motorists to be careful of sand in the road. Do not ignore this sign, as the Sand River is aptly named, because most of the year it is literally a "sand river" and when the wind blows, which it frequently does, the sand quickly starts building up over the road and has to be buldozed away.

However, when it rains the water starts flowing and the Sand River is transformed into a wetland paradise. The Sand River forms part of an ecologically sensitive dune system, which starts near Oyster Bay and ends up at the canals at St Francis Bay. One of the many objections to the proposed nuclear power station at Thyspunt, is that it will be situated at the start of this dune systen and will have the potential to contaminate river, with disasterous results.

The Sand River was also home to the Khoisan people many years ago and there is still evidence of their habitation in the area.

This link to the maXfiles will take you to a stunning sunset picture at the Sand River