Mimetes Park

Mimetes park at the eastern entrance to the town is a KNSC project. The park is between Main Road and Amandelboom Avenue and is also connected to the lagoon and main beach via a tunnel under Main Road.

The park was started in the 1990s by Elsje Bosman to commemorate her son Stompie, who died at an early age. Elsje was the chairperson of the Kleinmond Gardening club and the municipality gave the club permission to use the area as a park. The park was called Mimetes Park in honour of her son and numerous plants of the specie Mimetes cucullatus (or rooistompie) were planted there.

When the gardening club stopped functioning, the park fell into disuse.

Eventually an expert on plants endemic to the region noticed the many species growing there despite all the alien plants that had also taken up residence and this was how KNCS became involved in restoring the park and in rewilding the wetland part of the park.

The work is done by volunteers under leadership of Magdaleen Brits. KNCS sponsors a team from Vicky Kotze’s BBB Gardens to work there once a month and OM gives its support for this effort, helping wherever they can.

The eastern part of the park received generous donations of plants and benches and is becoming a lovely place for a rest or a stroll.

The invasive plants in the western part of the park have mostly been removed and paths laid out. Several endemic plants were discovered in the process. The wetland area is encouraged to rewild as endemic plants are either planted or spontaneously start to grow there.