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 …
Grand Bay (Grand Baie) is another fishermen village in Mauritius found at the complete north of the island which has known accelerated changes through the years. Being initially a fishermen village, today Grand Bay is known more as a tourist village, with lots of commercial buildings and activities almost everywhere from the beginning to the …
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 State House or The Château of Réduit is the official Residence of the President of Mauritius. Originally Le Réduit, it was built as a fortress for defence against attack by Pierre Félix Barthelemy David in 1749. The mansion is in Réduit, Moka, near of the University of Mauritius and the end of the Plaines …
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 …
Announcing the Sugar Cane Harvest Season as from June, today the manual sugar cane cutting has nearly disappeared, and has been replaced by machines. At the time, those hard workers would strive to earn their living in those fields, though not being compensated for the merit, they must be thanked for the development of …
The King’s African Rifles Regiment firing canons at the Pleasure Ground (les salines) during Empire Day in 1964. Quite an artillery indeed. Image shared by: France Athow UPDATE: The year is claimed to be 1952 probably instead of 1964 as originally mentioned. The King’s African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from …
A video documentary about the Trains Era in Mauritius by Wassim Sookia. It is true that not many of us, of the current generation, have known the railways era in Mauritius, but most of us have certainly heard about it from tales of parents and grandparents. The last passenger train was on 31 March 1956 and the overall railways ended in 1964 with its dismantling thereon. This video documentary will certainly let us live through this golden time once again!
First published: 13/07/2013
During the railways era (1864 – 1964), while the sugar industry was facing a boom, many sugar factories transported their harvest to the crushing plants using both traditional and mechanical methods; ox-carts, tramways, and later on lorries… During the early years ox-carts were most of which used for the transport of canes, but later on, …
In March 1972, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Mauritius and this was one big event for the country. This event gathered so many Mauritians and was announced 6 months before hand. A living souvenir for many to see the Queen visiting the country and people gathered in mass at different regions of the country …
The town hall of Port Louis was constructed around late 1960s (or early 1970s) to replace the old colonial town hall prevailing before that. A matter of hapiness or deception for some to see the old one gone and replaced by this new one is an opinion that will vary. This current building is still …
Found in the South East of Mauritius, Le Chaland beach is a really secluded place where one will really enjoy the tranquility of the spot and the sea. The Airport being a few kilometers away, the beach is accessible on the way towards Shandrani Hotel and on the road just before the Coast Guard base …
Curepipe during the ‘Far West’ days… The ladies gossiping, horse-carriages here and there and a lively animated street view. Days of the early development for the town of Curepipe and the upper lands of the country. Viewed like that we could picture a western movie taking place somewhere in the United States, or Europe. The …
The Golden days, during the late 1950s/early 1960s when Port Louis City was still looking ‘clean’ if it can be said so. Less traffic compared to nowadays and the change in traffic routing. At that time, TIPTOP buses were very common for the inner city rides, and its bus stand was just at the other …
Located on the Royal Road at the entrance of Curepipe, St Helene Church was constructed in 1922 and is among the famous churches of the town (St Therese being the first one). This image of 1933 shows how at this time the church was still surrounded by bamboo hays and greeneries whilst today it is …
At the beginning of 1860, the transport of passengers and goods was undertaken by about 2,000 horses, 4,000 donkeys and 4,500 carriages and carts. Animal-driven transport was the only sole method before the implementation of railway transport in Mauritius back in 1864. At the Place D’Armes, in front of the government house, we could see …
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 …
Trou aux Cerfs (also known as Murr’s Volcano) is a dormant volcano with a well-defined cone and crater. It is 605 m (1,985 ft) high and located in Curepipe, Mauritius. The crater has been alternately described as 300 and 350 meters in diameter, and is 80 meters deep. According to experts, the volcano is lying dormant but …
Established in 1847, the Saint Louis Cathedrale is among the oldest churches in Port Louis during the English Colonisation. The oldest church nationally speaking however remains the ‘St Francois D’Assise’ found in Pamplemousses, constructed during the times of Mahe de Labourdonnais. The scene that is offered to our eyes relates to the typical british period …
Found in the west north-west of Mauritius, Pointe aux Sables is considered to be a highly residential area close to the sea. Fishermen village by definition, the beach is still well praised for its tropical looks. The image depicts that period where the beach still had its coconut trees at many spots but today only …