COWIES HILL

Cowies Hill is very likely one of KZN's best-kept secret suburbs. It's little, lush and tucked away up there...but it's large in reputation. Everybody knows its name, but only those who live there, know what a real gem it is - that's why you're luckier than most if you find a property in this 1,5km square enclave for sale or rent, they're few and far between.

Cowies Hill's billboard claim to fame would be its legendary status on the Comrades Marathon route, where it's the first and last of the five arduous hills in the up and down run  - seasoned runners will tell you how often the battle's been won or lost from this point by 'forgetting' there's another 17km to the finishing post in Durban! This little elevated suburb is some 342,5m above sea level, and was previously called 'Steilhoogte' - steep heights - which is clearly why it's one of the undoubtedly gruesome climbs in the Comrades. It was named after Scottish gent William Cowie, who sailed into South Africa as a young man, and after marrying into the Laas family, trekked with them to KwaZulu-Natal in 1837 to meet with the British to negotiate their settlement in the area. He was later made a 'veldkornet' for the Bay area - now Durban - and while under the British Administration, he procured and sold several pieces of land. He finally secured Buffelskop, a large farm which later became known as Cowies Hill.

Cowies Hill is very much like a glorious lush little island, with desirably cooler temperatures in summer, and a steady rainfall, which is why it's wonderfully green with a history stretching skywards in all those tall trees. It has a true country feel, tucked away on the fringe of town - with its trees and greenery, it's a bird and even small wildlife haven.  

Cowies Hill is a single suburb bordered by Pinetown in the west, Westville in the east - the term loosely comprises three areas within the suburb, namely Cowies Hill, Cowies Hill Park, and even Woodside.  Cowies Hill Estate is the name given to the Cowies Hill region by the proactive community determined that protection and maintenance of their good-looking village will protect everybody's property values. Cowies Hill Estate is essentially an Urban Improvement Precinct, where the community banded together to ensure excellent security and service levels, so the suburb can retain its charm, safety and good looks. https://www.cowieshillestate.co.za.

All roads into Cowies Hill meander off the Old Main Road/Josiah Gumede Road which travels up from Westville, and over the hill down to Pinetown, with well-known old roads like Ernest Whitcutt, Belvedale, Woodside and more, winding over the hillside. Some of the homes have magnificent sea or river views, others are more forested - some of the homes are wonderfully over-sized as of old, with large plots and seven or so bedrooms.  

 Cowies Hill has always been known for those large, gracious freehold homes on expansive plots, and although changes have taken place, that is still the predominant residential type. Freehold properties comprise around 95 percent of the suburb, with many of these old houses having been in the same family for decades. There are few new sectional title developments, and only a handful of residential estates or complexes. Superb estates include an eco-estate such as Belvedale Woods in Redmond Road.  Sectional title complexes include: Bahia Forest Eco Estate and Santillana in Bedford Road; Stafford Mews in the Woodside precinct overlooking the river; Melody Mews and Cyprus Creek in Cowies Hill Park; Paradise View in Wishingwell Road and Woodside Park in Ernest Whitcutt Road in Woodside; Tranquilia and Robin's Rest in Ambleside Lane; and Amber Valley in Radwin Road in Cowies Hill Park.

Cowies Hill's location is superb - cool country, but a few minutes from the M13/King Cetshwayo Highway, and 10 minutes from the major arterial routes north or south. Although the suburb has little in the way of retail or restaurants, that strongly residential feel is even more attractive when you know it's a stone's throw from everything you need or want. All the Westville shops at the local Westville Mall are just down the hill, and the extensive retail experience with movies and more is found at the Pavilion, ten minutes away.  

Amenities like schools and hospitals are well situated nearby.  Life Crompton Hospital, and Life Westville Hospital are ten minutes in either direction. The full spectrum of highly-regarded Westville government schools from pre-primary up to high, are on your doorstep, as well as the Deutsche Schule, Star College, and a few good pre-primary schools like the Christian-based Cowies Hill, and Saturn. Top private schools are easily accessible in the Upper Highway, or east on Durban's Berea. For sports amenities, Cowies Hill has tennis courts, while cycling clubs, Chiltern Athletics Club and Westville Country Club are an easy ride away.

Cowies Hill is a gentle suburb, where seasonal changes are not only felt and seen in the suburb's landscape, but enjoyed by those who live in expansive properties or look out on to rivers, the sea or forests. Close by are protected areas such as Paradise Valley Nature Reserve with its nature trails and waterfall - Krantzview Nature Reserve is up the hill at Kloof - and Durban beaches are a 15 to 20 minutes' drive away. 

A number of those larger homes have been converted fully or partially into Bed and Breakfasts, and you'll find the delightful Summerhill Estate, boutique hotel and culinary retreat, in the middle of the suburb.

If Cowies Hill appeals to you - quiet, green and an exclusively small community - you'll need to start looking for your home now. They're there, but they don't come on the market often.