Kingsburgh, KwaZulu-Natal

Kingsburgh is a coastal resort town along the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, approximately 32 kilometres (20 miles) south-west of Durban.

Kingsburgh and its sister town of Amanzimtoti form a natural extension of the Greater Durban metropolitan area towards the south. Kingsburgh is also often referred to as being part of the Greater Amanzimtoti area considering that they share the same postal code.

History
Originally known as Southern Umlazi, it became a township in October 1942 and reached borough status in August 1952. Probably named after Richard Philip (Dick) King (1811-1871) who rode along here from Durban to Grahamstown on horseback to secure assistance for beleaguered British troops in 1842.

Location
Situated on the Sapphire Coast, the geographical position of Kingsburgh is between Amanzimtoti to the north, Umgababa to the south and the Indian Ocean coastline to the east.

Suburbs
Bisected by the N2 highway, Kingsburgh comprises the ocoastal resorts of Doonside, Warner Beach, Winklespruit and Illovo Beach on the seaward side of the N2 and the hilly suburbs of Doonheights, Shulton Park, Illovo Glen, St Winifred’s and Astra Park on the inland side of the N2.

Tourism
The economy of Kingsburgh is heavily reliant on tourism in the form of hotels and holiday accommodation that dominate the coastline. Hospitality establishments of note include only 5 Star accommodation in the south coast called The View Boutique Hotel & Spa and ZAR Hotel, both in Doonside, the ATKV Natalia Resort and the Villa Spa Holiday Resort, both in Illovo Beach and Protea Hotel Karridene Beach in Karridene.

Retail
There are two main shopping centres in Winklespruit serving Kingsburgh including Kingsburgh Centre and DSM Mall, both situated along Kingsway. For greater variety, residents usually head to Amanzimtoti which is home to larger shopping centres, such as Galleria Mall and Arbour Crossing.

Rail
Kingsburgh is served by the South Coast railway line, connecting its five railway stations; Doonside, Warner Beach, Winklespruit, Illovo Beach and Karridene. The South Coast service operated by Metrorail runs northwards to Durban via Amanzimtoti and southwards to Kelso via Umgababa.

Road
Kingsburgh is intesected by the major N2 freeway running between Durban in the north and Port Shepstone in the south. The town is also intersected by the R102 which is formed by two roads (Kingsway- renamed to Andrew Zondo Road, and Winklespruit Road) and the R603 (Sbu Mkhize Drive) heading north-west to Umbumbulu. The R603 is also an alternative route to the N3 for travel between Kingsburgh and Pietermaritzburg.