Just 15 minutes from the Durban CBD, Westville offers residents a laid back country lifestyle that’s difficult to replicate anywhere.
Westville
A major part of Westville’s attraction is its accessibility to Durban. Situated roughly 15km outside the city, it takes around 15 minutes to get to the CBD. Despite this, the suburb enjoys an almost country feel with its tree-lined, hilly terrain, and it has long been regarded as one of Durban’s most prestigious places to live.
The area has a number of good public schools including Westville Boys’ High School and Westville Girls’ High School, the former of which has produced a number of top athletes including Olympian gold medalist swimmer, Chad le Clos, and Errol Stewart, a former South African cricketer. It is also home to the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus.
In addition to top schools, the area also features some of the best shopping facilities in KwaZulu-Natal including The Pavilion Shopping Centre and the Westwood Mall, which feature national and local retailers. It's also home to some of Durban’s best-known restaurants, such as Lupa Osteria and Atasca Portuguese restaurant, as well as some top-notch pubs such as the Firkin Brewery at The Pavilion, and Waxy O’Connors, an Irish pub that serves (among other things) a delectable Guinness pie.
Ask anyone who lives here and they will tell you that it's a great place to live. There's a strong sense of community and, as with other popular areas, many people who move here with young families elect to stay in the area for the rest of their lives. Westville, which was until the mid-1990s large enough to be governed by its own municipality, features a wide range of property, and although there is a large upmarket contingent, the area also houses pockets where home ownership is attainable for first-time buyers and those in the lower-income brackets.
I never understood the importance of location until I moved to Westville. Now I wouldn't live anywhere else.
Brian Wilmot, resident.
Things to do:
- Visit the many restaurants in the numerous shopping centres including The Pavilion Shopping Centre, Westwood Mall and the Westville Mall
- Westville Country Club offers a wide range of activities including squash, tennis and bowls.
- Visit the Bergtheil Museum which is housed in Westville’s oldest building and depicts the lives of the first German settlers who arrived in the area in 1848.
- Palmiet Nature Reserve is located in Westville and is made up from a large variety of natural habitats from jungle to grasslands. There are a number of interesting walking trails with a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Nearby medical facilities:
- Life Westville Hospital
- Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital
Top schools:
- Westville Boys’ High
- Westville Girls’ High
- Atholl Heights Primary
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
