Bazley Strand, Umdoni Platteland, KwaZulu-Natal

Bazley Beach is a small coastal holiday resort situated roughly 70km to the south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

On a road less travelled and being only accessible from the Sezela motorway turnoff, Bazley is quiet and tranquil and therefore ideal for relaxation and de-stressing.

If nature and wildlife is your thing, only a few kilometres to the north of Bazley, just off the road to eXobho (Ixopo), lies the Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve. This 2200 hectare nature reserve lies in three densely wooded valleys and is home to several species of buck and antelope as well as porcupine and zebra.

History

Bazley is named after William Bazley, an engineer who succeeded in opening the Mzimkulu river mouth for shipping in the 1880s. He first arrived in the area in 1852 and pitched his tent on the banks of the Illovo River. After a relatively good start, his farming activities floundered and he applied for, and was granted, 612 acres of land for sugar farming. He worked hard and prospered and within two years, he had established a sugar mill.