Do you remember old Durban?

[Kosmik]

Things about my city which are no more:

Fishing row boat

I got no idea what happened to this but as a child when swimming near where ushaka is now, there used to be a wooden boat that would go out and fish using nets and come back in to the beach. Folks used to flock around it as the fisherman would take all the fish in the net that were of good size and quality and folks would stare at all the different fish. As kids we would grab the small ones that fall out the net. I remember once one of us got a live octupus and played with it in the shallows.

Drive ins
Durban main drivein, one on top of game city and a bluff one. I remember in the first ones you had a metal speaker box that you would unwind your window and hang inside the car. The later years, you would tune in your car radio to a broadcast frequency for the movies. Tickets were on a per car basis and normally were for two movies with a short cartoon show before the first one for the kids. Used to be great for families or that secret snogging in the car

Tropical
I think that was the name of the place. Used to be on Victoria Embankment as the road turned into Moore road, just below the M4 highway. You could take your car their, folks would come to your window and take a order and then bring your food to the car and you could eat in your car with a tray suspended off the window. As a kid we used to love it.

Fishing off the front of the harbour
Before the developments and banning, folks were able to either walk or even drive right up the breakwaters of the harbour. Remember fishing off the side of the harbour mouth and catching a green eel

Movies at the Staduim
There was a phase of where they would suspend giant screens at Kings Park and show movies. I think it was a B&H sponsored festival or something.

The whale near seaworld
The old model whale outside seaworld on the beachfront.

Little top
Used to be a striped Ball shaped building near northbeach. Red and White stripes and had a stage. Often on weekends and holidays there would be bands or shows, interactive competitions etc.

[kilobits]

I even remember the old log ride on the beachfront, next to the paddling pools;



The boats you could ride on;





And the space scooters and the giant Mother Goose statue !

[Kosmik]

Wow, ok I missed some of those, I remember the Mother Goose and the house in a shoe and also that small water slide that used to have a vicous pump that always sucked me round the bottom and struggled to get out. If I recall, you paid your money and were given elastic bands to wear for the amount of times you could ride

There was also a steam train that used to go round the harbour? I remember a school trip where we caught a ferry accross the harbour to the coaling station and rode a train from there to somewhere and back.

[kilobits]

Ok... some final scans...

[ponder]

Any pictures of MiniLand next door?

[Freshy-ZN]

Awesome. Thats a good dose of nostalgia right there. Were you born early 70s?

[TirNaNog]

Freaking awesome memories... I loved those places. My gran lived in a flat in Aliwal St back then. Nothing nicer than waking up to sunrises over the ocean from that flat window. MiniLand, movies, SeaWorld, Fitsimmons snake park... Durbs had the best movie theatres... so many of them.

[Mitos]

Old whaling station on Bluff side of the harbor. Salisbury Island - University, only way to reach was by ferry.
Umgeni river was over 30 meters wide at certain places, about 10 km upstream, Springfield. First Indian shanty town (very neat) in same area, call Tin Town. Cows swimming in the river - crossing over to Newlands side.
Very vibrant Indian population in Riverside (now called Durban North) & another at Magazine Barracks, where the casino now resides.

[TirNaNog]

I haven't heard that called Magazine Barracks in years! Freaking Suncoast casino. Durbs has changed

[Kosmik]

We getting old

[TirNaNog]

We getting old

Zigzactly!

[FNfal]

Cockney pride and port of call ,London town pub,Diamond circle .I am an old Durbanite
I remember all of the above with fond memories .

[Thugscub]

LA hotel.

[FNfal]

LA hotel.

Jaa that had 2 discos there during the week and Sunday night movie and chow was the only way you could get a drink.