This section of Table Mountain National Park is named after the fruitless attempts by the Dutch to prospect for silver in this area from 1675 to 1685. Today its focal point is the Silvermine Reservoir (built in 1898), which is a beautiful spot for a picnic or leisurely walk on a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk. The reservoir waters are tannin-stained and although there are signs forbidding swimming, you’ll often find locals taking a dip here.
On the southeastern edge of the reserve is Peers Cave ; a trail leads here from a marked parking spot on the Ou Kaapse Weg. The cave, which is actually an overhang, is named after Victor Peers, who, with his son Bertie, started excavating the site in 1927, collecting evidence of the habitation of the Khoe-San dating as far back as 10,000 years. The most dramatic find was of an 11,000-year-old-skull; it’s thought this was an ancient burial site. Declared a National Monument in 1941, the cave provides a dramatic viewpoint out across Noordhoek towards the sea and is well worth visiting.
