The Granary in Santos Bay, Mosselbaai, Wes-Kaap

The Granary can be found at the Dias Museum Complex which is also part of the Mossel Bay Historic Walk Tour. The Granary was originally built in 1786 for the grain and wool industries of the Dutch East India Company. It stored the grain brought in by farmers until there was enough for a shipload. This saved the farmers a 2 to 3 month trip by ox-wagon and led to the expansion of the wool and grain trade.

In 1949 the Granary was demolished and a larger warehouse was built in its place. The warehouse was later demolished in 1986 and on doing so the foundations of the original Granary were discovered.

The present building stands on these foundations and is an ochre-coloured Granary which is a replica of the original building from 1786. It was built from the original plans which were discovered in the Archives in the Castle in Cape Town. The building now serves as the entrance to the Dias Museum Complex and if you have the time, it is well worth visiting the full Complex with its Museums and other attractions.

The Granary is also an information and education centre with a conference room. The educational centre hosts revolving exhibitions and has a live specimen table that displays various clippings of fynbos that can be found in the Mossel Bay area.

Things to do and see

• Cultural exhibitions & Lectures
• Dias Museum Complex
• Malay Graves
• Old Post Office Tree
• Dias Maritime Museum
• The Fountain
• Shell Museum
• Botanical Garden & Braille Trail
• Conferencing

Admission

Admission rates to the Museum Complex are between R5 and R40. Prices are subject to change, please contact the Dias Museum Complex to confirm rates.

Climate

Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 16˚C and 27˚C with high rainfall in March and October.

Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 7˚C and 21˚C with the lowest rainfall in June and July.

Transport

Commercial Airlines offer flights into George Airport, 50 km from Mossel Bay. Car hire facilities are located at the Airports.