| Featherbed Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Knysna, Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| Nearest town | Knysna |
| Coordinates | 34°04′33″S 23°03′20″E / 34.07583°S 23.05556°E |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Founder | William Smith |
| Owned by | Featherbed Co |
| Website | http://www.knysnafeatherbed.com/ |
Featherbed Nature Reserve is a privately owned nature reserve on the Western Headland of the Knysna River Estuary on South Africa’s Garden Route. [1][2]
It was founded by South African television teacher, William Smith, on land that was bought in the 1950s by his father, the chemist and ichthyologist Professor JLB Smith, with the proceeds of his best selling book, ‘Old Fourlegs The Story of the Coelacanth,’ published in 1956.[3]
The reserve opened to visitors in 1984, and is only accessible to the public by ferry.[4] Smith sold the reserve to Eastern-Cape-based businessman Kobus Smit in 2008.[5]
- ^ "Featherbed Co". Knysna Featherbed. Knysna Featherbed. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Knysna Featherbed Nature Reserve". GardenRoute.com. GardenRoute.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ Bruton, Mike (2017). The Annotated Old Four Legs The Updated Story of the Coelacanth. Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN 9781775844990.
- ^ Hatchuel, Martin. "Featherbed Nature Reserve, Knysna: the origins story". TourismContent.co.za. TourismContent.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Maths boffin sells the heads". IOL. IOL. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.