Kalk Bay

Kalk Bay (Afrikaans: Kalkbaai) is a fishing village on the coast of False Bay, South Africa and is now a suburb of greater Cape Town. It lies between the ocean and sharply rising mountainous heights that are buttressed by crags of grey Table Mountain Sandstone. A literal translation from the Dutch/Afrikaans name "Kalkbaai" is "Lime Bay". This derives from the vast deposits of mussel shells found there, which early settlers burned to make lime for construction. Lime kilns to roast mussel shells are still found along the west coast. The railway from the central business district of Cape Town to Simon's Town passes through Kalk Bay and in some places the line is only metres from the water's edge.

The Foundation Stone for the harbour was laid in 1913.

Many famous caves (with names such as 'Ronan's Well', after the Walter Scott novel St. Ronan's Well, and 'Free Drinks Saloon') are located in the mountains above the village. They are of importance to spaeleologists because they have formed in sandstone. Large cave systems are not often found in this type of chemically unreactive rock.