Table Mountain is without a doubt Cape Town's most iconic landmark, and hundreds of thousands of visitors attain its summit in the cable car every year.
But think back 100 years or so... there was this great big mountain and no way to get to the top other than to climb it. In an article which appeared in The Outspan newspaper on September 6, 1929, journalist Henry Hope wrote: "Bare knees and light khaki shorts, blouses and gymnasium costumes have been the only wear for climbers on these heights 3 560 feet above the Bay.
"But now motor cars will take well-dressed families and couples and parties of friends from the streets up the high road along which the Camps Bay trams wind to Kloof Nek and from there for a mile to Valley Station. Five minutes later well-creased trousers, Stetson hats and walking sticks, white summer frocks and brollies will be on the plateau. Then in the mountain restaurant there will be scenes as gay as in the big tea rooms in Adderley Street."
Hope's story was penned a little less than a month before the cableway opened on October 4, 1929 with a ceremony led by the mayor of Cape Town and attended by 200 guests. We take the cable car trip up and down pretty much for granted now, but then it was quite a big deal, and a vision of 30 years in the making.
Initially, in the late 1870s, the idea was to build a railway to the top of the mountain, but the plans were shelved with the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer war.
However, since the thing about men and mountains is that they simply have to be conquered, the idea of a funicular was toyed with in 1912, with the vast majority of Cape Town's residents voting in its favour. Again, war scuppered the plans and they lay dormant until 1926 when a Norwegian engineer, Trygve Stromsoe, presented plans for a cableway, which caught the collective eye of a group of eminent businessmen.
The idea that an easy route up would finally become a reality drew them together, forming the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) to finance the construction. Work began soon afterwards and the project was finished relatively quickly.
The first cabin, also known as the "soap box", was made of wood. Running on a single rope, it carried 19 passengers and a conductor from 1929 till 1958. Probably the most precious cargo carried by that first cable car was the young Princess Elizabeth, who visited South Africa with her parents in 1947. She and her father made the trip with Prime Minister Jan Smuts.
Cabin number two was slightly larger and could accommodate 15 people. It retired in 1977. The second upgrade still saw the car run on a single track rope. It carried 26 people, and used sandbags for stability in the wind. It was in use until 1997 and celebrated several milestones, including the eighth and 11th millionth visitors in 1989 and 1997 respectively.
Although the first cable car no longer exists, a replica is being built to commemorate the TMACC's 80th anniversary and will soon be on view at the lower cable station, along with the restored second and third cabins. Cableway staff will be on hand to tell visitors about the history of each car.
Which brings us to the current gondola, which is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. Imported from Switzerland, where they know a thing or two about cable cars, it carries 65 passengers and has a revolving floor which gives them a 360186 view of their ascent. There are only two others like it in the world - in Titlis in the Swiss Alps and in Palm Springs in the US. Ours, however, is the busiest of them all since it runs all year round. The cableway is only closed anything between 30 and 70 days a year because of weather conditions. The cars run on double cables which provide much more stability and use water as ballast.
Travelling at an average speed of about eight to 10 metres a second, it takes about five minutes to reach the top, just more than 1 000m above sea level.
Back in 1929, TMACC thought they would be happy with the return on their investment generated by 45 000 visitors a year. "If the Cape Town folk find they like their table top park and promenade, the Table Mountain Cableway Company should pay its handful of shareholders a good return," wrote Hope. So far, more than 18 million people have ridden the cable car and the 20 millionth visitor is expected early next year. They can be sure of being greeted with fanfare, bells and whistles.
The view from the summit is not the only reason to visit Table Mountain, which is rich in flora and fauna; there are also free daily guided walks, abseiling and paragliding off the edge for adrenaline junkies, a gift shop, an old fashioned red letter box from which you can send postcards and the café. You will also be visiting one of the potential New Seven Wonders Of The World.
After a vigorous campaign and great deal of voting, Table Mountain made it into the next round, but your votes are still needed to ensure it makes it through the top 28 to the finals.
