An 18-year battle to save the Silvermine River has been won, paving the way for its huge ecotourism and recreational potential to be realised.
The Silvermine River may have failed to live up to its name in one respect - no silver was ever found in the valley through which it flows - but conservationists are confident it will prove to be a gold mine instead.
This is because its huge ecotourism and recreational potential could soon be fully realised, with the development of a formal walking/hiking trail along its length "from source to sea".
The Silvermine River is now the only one in the Peninsula that is formally protected along virtually its entire length, making it extremely significant in ecological as well as recreational terms.
This follows the recent acquisition for the Cape Peninsula National Park of the 37ha "Zone C" on the Fish Hoek sanddunes between the Clovelly golf course and Peer's Hill.
Although this property doesn't extend to the actual river bank - a narrow strip of land along the southern bank is owned by the City - major development here would have had a severe negative ecological impact on the river.
Having Zone C in the national park now gives planners significantly more latitude in designing the planned river trail, which will link up with the major five-day, six-night Hoeri Kwaggo hiking trail currently being developed between Table Mountain and Cape Point.
Part of the Silvermine River hiking trail is already in existence as the river walk in the upper reaches between the reservoir and Ou Kaapseweg, and the middle section between Ou Kaapseweg and the Fish Hoek sanddunes is currently being developed as part of the Hoeri Kwaggo trail.
But there is a small informal community squatting on council-owned land along the river opposite the Clovelly golf course, and Cape Peninsula National Park managers acknowledge this is an issue that affects planning for the trail in the lower reaches of the river, and that it must be handled sensitively.
"We have got money to pay for a facilitator and we will be looking at this in the new year," said Gavin Bell, the national park's southern area manager.
Sandy Barnes, chairperson of the Friends of Silvermine Nature Area conservation group and of the Silvermine Valley Coalition, which was formed to fight planned developments in the area, said the river valley was an area worth preserving for future generations.
"The Silvermine River is the only one in the Peninsula to have survived modern development, and it remains the least disturbed river in metropolitan Cape Town.
"Not only has it now been preserved from source to sea within a nature area, but incorporating the sanddunes is a logical and natural extension to the national park."
Long-standing Fish Hoek conservationist Lewis Walter, who lives just a frog's hop from the wetland at the estuary, recalls the early history of the lower part of the Silvermine River.
With the building of the railway line and the first bridge across the river in 1890 - until then, wagons crossed the mouth on the beach at low tide - the first major attempt was made to curb the river's wanderings by building a dyke stretching from the beach up into the wetland.
But it was not entirely successful, and in 1925 a second dyke was built, reinforced with corrugated iron sheets.
As Fish Hoek and Clovelly developed, houses and roads were built in the river's floodplain, causing - not surprisingly - serious flooding problems.
The engineers' solution was simple: canalisation. But while this would have been very effective against flooding, it would also have destroyed the river ecologically.
Added to that was the growing threat of development on the privately-owned Fish Hoek sanddunes.
It was these twin threats that led to a well-attended public meeting being called in Fish Hoek in April 1985 and that resulted in the formation of the Silvermine River Society, with Walter as first chairperson.
Then environment minister, the late John Wiley, was the society's first president.
"He was a great supporter of the society," recalled Walter.
Wiley was also firmly opposed to canalisation; nevertheless, it required a great deal of time and effort to persuade officials that there were better options for the lower river.
One of the conservation heroes was Kim Kruyshaar, a professional environmentalist who was working for the council. Kruyshaar co-authored a highly influential report - A Case For The Retention Of The Silvermine River As a Natural River System" - on behalf of the society.
"This was widely circulated, and possibly brought about the first change in official thinking as to the future of the river," said Walter.
In 1990, Kruyshaar followed up with another report, "Silvermine River Wetland Project".
This contained far-reaching proposals for dealing with the conflicting problems of how to control large flooding of the developed areas in the river's lower reaches, and to preserve the river in its natural state and provide recreational opportunities.
"Eventually, with a change of staff in the council and - perhaps I shouldn't say this - more intelligent people getting involved, the tremendous potential was realised," said Walter.
This was through the implementation of the Silvermine River Action Plan: a R12-million three-phase flood management and wetland improvement project in the estuary.
Major construction started in 2000 and was completed last year, and the project subsequently won a major environmental engineering award.
Kruyshaar, who had resigned from her City post to raise her young family, was still very actively involved in the river's conservation in the early 1990s, through her membership of the river society and its umbrella body, the Silvermine Valley Coalition, which she chaired for a time.
Barnes, who took over as chairperson, recalled the long hours they put in together to stave off development.
"Kim wasn't even able to enjoy her daughter Claire as a new-born baby because, although I had taken over the coalition, I didn't have enough knowledge to do the work without her input," she said.
"Our husbands often went without supper or had to do the cooking for us after full working days when we were busy going off to meetings.
"And we often had to take the little baby with us - she grew up going to meetings with ministers and people. It was a real sacrifice."
Many others had also contributed during the 18-year struggle to save the sanddunes and the river - some of whom had died before the battle had been won, Barnes said.
"So saving Zone C was a bit like building a cathedral." Walter said there were probably very few examples of a small conservation group like the Silvermine River Society - which has since been incorporated into the Friends of Silvermine group - being able to achieve its major aims.
"And I think the trail is going to be lovely - it really will be," he said.
"There's terrific potential there, and there's still quite a bit of wildlife around, like grysbok and meerkats (mongoose), and there are otters all the way."
Ironically, despite all his work on the Silvermine River, Walter has never glimpsed an otter here.
"I've probably spent more time on the river than most people, and I've never seen one. Other people come for the first time and tell me 'Oh, we saw an otter today!'" he said wistfully.
Perhaps these charismatic but shy animals are just waiting to surprise him, and they'll put in a long-awaited appearance for him as the "cherry on top" when the "source-to-sea" trail is finally completed.