Leisure Isle

This small sandy island in the Knysna Estuary was developed as a residential suburb in the 1930s, with the construction of a causeway linking it to the mainland, a seawall to protect it from stormy seas, and a picturesque street layout.

Now almost one hundred years old, the suburb has over four hundred residential properties, with magnificent homes and gardens, restaurants and coffee bars and shops, a range of accommodation options, a library and community hall, a retirement complex, a country club, a boat club with a small boat marina, more than twenty parks, a small nature reserve, and Knysna’s most popular beaches.

The Island offers a rich and unique lifestyle to its residents, and a safe and pleasant place for visitors to enjoy the natural resources that Knysna has to offer.

The twice-daily tides wash the shores of the Island with fresh sea water from the Indian Ocean. The tidal range is some two meters. At high tides, the water laps the tops of the seawalls. At low tides large expanses of sandy beaches and saltmarshes stretch out around the Island perimeter. Periodic storm surges result in flooding of low-lying areas of Steenbok Reserve, and sometimes damage sections of the seawalls.

Island Activities

Leisure Isle Boat Club.
This private club with a small boat harbour has 250 walk-on moorings, a trailer parking area, a clubhouse, and a public slipway.

Leisure Isle Country Club
The Country Club has two bowling greens, three tennis courts, and a clubhouse. It also manages Cearn Hall, where table tennis is played.

The Leisure Isle Festival
The Leisure Isle Festival, held in November, is a popular annual event with craft stalls, entertainment and food offerings.

Cearn Hall
This municipal hall, seating some 100 people, is used for a number of activities: as a polling station, for meetings and lectures and society gatherings, church services, and for sport and recreational activities.

Leisure Isle Library
This municipal library includes an adults’ and a children’s library, and has free internet access.

Restaurants And Coffee Shops
A number of eating venues, shops and business premises are clustered around Kings Park.

Other things to do

Walking and outdoors
One of the most popular places to walk and be outdoors, especially Steenbok Nature Reserve

Accommodation
There are various options for accommodation - boutique hotels and lodges, B&Bs and other rental premises.

Retirement Village
The Leisure Gardens retirement village has facilities for some 50 residents.

Weather
Knysna has an oceanic climate, with warm summers and mild but sometimes chilly winters. Spring and autumn are pleasant. Summer temperatures average 25C, and winter 16C. Average annual rainfall is around 700mm, mainly in winter.

The Waterfront
Leisure Isle has an area of 75 ha, and a perimeter of about 4km. It is 1.6km long, and 0.5km at its widest point. The varied Island shoreline provides a surprisingly rich variety of waterfront experiences for recreational purposes.

Greenhole and Thornely Park
These are popular waterside picnic areas with safe bathing. Bollard Bay has beautiful sandy beaches. Land’s End beach is both sheltered and secluded. The Steenbok Reserve towpath has views to the distant Outeniqua mountains, and Cearn Drive is a popular promenade with spectacular views of the Heads. Opportunities for fishing, boating and swimming abound.