Cape Town - The Fish Hoek Valley Historical Society said news of an old railway line dug up along Fish Hoek beach was fake.
Reports of the discovery made on Monday were widely celebrated, with images of the corroded remnants widely shared.
Members of the Fish Hoek Valley Historical Society, however, called the discovery a myth and said it was instead the remnants of the old retaining wall made of old sleepers and strapped with rail.
“Aerial photography and knowledge of rail gauge helps set the story right. It is a pity that untested personal views were published without being vetted,” said Alan Lindner, former Fish Hoek Valley Historical Society chairperson.
The City’s coastal management branch was on site on Monday, to ascertain the findings.
Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews said: “We are still trying to establish the facts, but early on we suspected that the exposed line formed part of a temporary spur line, built on the beach in 1929, when the government of the day decided to remove all the dunes from this section of Fish Hoek beach.
“However, since then, we have concluded that it is most likely a substantial remaining piece of the first beach revetment built in 1930 at Fish Hoek beach. This revetment was built with sleepers from the railway line and joined by rail components, thus the confusion with the spur line.
“Lying on its side it looked like a railway line. It has been buried for over 90 years, and was briefly exposed on Monday,” he said.
The Historical Society of Cape Town’s Helen Robinson said there was, however, a railway line all the way to Fish Hoek during the 1890s.
“The actual railway line went as far as Wynberg (only). In the 1880s, I think it was 1883, they extended it down to the False Bay area and it was difficult to put it down to Fish Hoek because of circumstances, the ground there was quite soft but they did, because they opened up the Fish Hoek area.
“Once they did that, the other side became more accessible. Places like Kommetjie started to open to the South Peninsula, on the Atlantic side of the South Peninsula. Towards the end of the 19th century, the area beyond Muizenberg was opened up,” said Robinson.
Last month, a large portion of the existing Antipolis shipwreck was washed ashore between Oudekraal and the Twelve Apostles Hotel due to a big swell occurring on January 19.