Vacoas town of Mauritius
Among all the towns in Mauritius, Vacoas was the last to bear the township title. Strange indeed, Vacoas is known to be the least developed town and is somewhat also very slow in moving forward. Those who reside in this region can confirm that progress is very slow. But on the other side what appraises …
Seen on the main roads of Vacoas early mornings, Mr Hossannee is among the few remaining people that are still doing this job. From the nearby bakery, he will collect and load his breads in big baskets and on his faithful old bicycle he will roam the streets of Vacoas towards his subscribed customers. He …
Many of us go by this road very often but we might not have given it consideration. These narrow stone walls at the exit of the ‘Sugar Road’ towards Sadally is actually an old railway bridge! ‘M.R A.D 1924’ – Mauritius Railways A.D 1924 written on it. It is said that this bridge was supposed …
One of the other sides of the Special Mobile Force (SMF) apart from being of military purpose, is also their music band and performances. Those who are acquainted to the region of Vacoas must certainly have noticed and heard the frequent music repetition, specially in the afternoons, of the SMF at the other end of …
Vacoas of the time looks to be a more animated town than the actual Vacoas. During the 1950s – 1980s, the town had 3 Cinemas, but now none. The METRO cinema in Vacoas was located right in the town centre (here) and was a very famous cinema of its time. During those years very few …
A part of the history of Post Offices in Mauritius will certainly mention how these Post Offices during the time when the railways were still in operation in the country were attached to their respective train stations as mails were transported quicker and easier from places to places. It was obvious that in the beginning …
Vacoas Transport was a bus company serving on the routes of the town of Vacoas and its surrounding suburbs, and which unfortunately had faced operational difficulties during the late 1970s. As a result, the company was taken over by the Government in the early 1980s and the National Transport Corporation was then set up. Its …
Dhuny Store in Vacoas is located at the beginning of the John Kennedy Avenue and forming part of the main town centre. The Store is among the oldest and earliest trading activity of the town and is still standing even today, in 2014. Back in the 1960s, the street had quite some commercial activities that …
The Special Mobile Force is a paramilitary unit that serves as the main internal security force in Mauritius. As Mauritius has no dedicated military, mainly due to the cost that it would incur, the SMF forms part of the Mauritius Police Force, with its personnel on long term rotation from the police force. In the …
Vacoas Town Centre is known unfortunately for its very slow development and growth. Being the last town to actually obtain the township title, Vacoas however is quite well known for a very good climate. During summer days the temperature is most desirable but during winter is can get somewhat very cold. The Town Centre since …
Constructed in 1864, Notre Dame de la Visitation is found on the Royal Road near La Caverne in Vacoas. As it was observed with many other old churches, this one too went through quite some changes in the structure. At the time of the above picture, the church had the big cross on the side …
Among all the current towns, Vacoas was the last one to bear the township identity. Having the reputation of being the slowest town in terms of development, Vacoas is still a very nice place for its climate. Bonne Terre being one of the regions within the town bears its name because of the very fertile …
Who doesn’t know the Savoy Cinema in Vacoas? That probably can even be referred to as a landmark… as long as at least the building still stands. At that time the cinema was still a famous cinema and could be said to be the main entertainment of the town. And the old Esso filling station …
The Vacoas Train Station now no longer exists and has been replaced by the actual bus terminal. In the early 1980s we could still see the Post Office building, which was the actual Train Station before that, but due to development, the building was pulled down. The building is exactly what we can still see …
Descendants of the early Indian immigrants in the country in the early 1930s. At that time, indentured labourers were brought from India to work in the fields and on the Sugar Estates which were knowing an economical boom. These immigrants left their native lands in the search for a better life, but not all of …
Many of us Mauritian residents may certainly have heard of the region of ‘La Caverne’, one of the suburbs of Vacoas, but very few have wondered why this region was named as such… Actually, most of the regions of the island are named according to a specific reason and La Caverne is very famous for …
The Holyrood Bridge was erected in 1876 for access to the Bassin Estate from the region of Vacoas. The Bassin Estate covered a span from Henrietta to Beaus Songes and was known in the time for its Sugar Mill. This picture depicts a beautiful landscape over the Rempart Mountains from Holyrood with its green landscape; …
The ‘New Vacoas Store’ was found, at that time, on John Kennedy Avenue, at the beginning of the shopping stores on the left, or just opposite the current State Bank of Mauritius. On the far left of this picture we can still see the old CWA (Central Water Authority) Office.
At the time when people has the culture of being well dressed wherever they went. Even riding a bicycle and going to the market meant to be ‘classic’!