Pinetown Central, Pinetown

Pinetown is a small city just inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Pinetown is situated 16 km west of Durban at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m).

Today Pinetown is easily accessible from any of a number of major highways in the area, and it is largely due to this fact that industry in Pinetown has increased immensely in recent years. Pinetown lies at the foot of Field's Hill on the M13 highway along the route of the world famous Comrades Marathon.

Overlooking Pinetown is the New Germany Nature Reserve which is a rather small reserve with pleasant, shady picnic sites, braai areas, wonderful trails which take visitors in a circular route around the reserve. The main attraction of the New Germany Nature Reserve is a hide located close to a waterhole where visitors can expect occasional sightings of zebra, nyala, impala, samango monkeys and others. Pinetown is also host to an annual racing event which sees hundreds of visitors flocking to its streets. The main Pinetown streets are closed off to form a track, on which various motorcycle and go-kart races take place. Other attractions in Pinetown include the Pineville Junction craft village, which is a recreation of an old style corrugated iron village, where various arts and crafts, and delicious snacks are sold on alternate weekends. This is also the site of the popular Pinetown Lord William Charles Pub, which was also constructed in a style of times gone by. There are a number of pubs and clubs in Pinetown, all of which contribute to an interesting night life. When it comes to shopping in Pinetown, there is the newly renovated Pine Crest Centre which offers a variety of stores ranging from jewellery stores to tobacconists.

Pinetown Accommodation - Generally bed and breakfast accommodation in Pinetown is the order of the day. Due to the vast industrial area called Westmead Industrial, Guest House accommodation in Pinetown attracts business reps from all over South Africa. Pinetown self catering accommodation tends to be a little less in demand and would mainly be taken up by visiting families in the area who would benefit from Self Catering accommodation in Pinetown because it would be more cost effective accommodation (especially with children)

History

Pinetown was named after the governor of Natal, Sir Benjamin Pine. The town was established in 1850 around the Wayside Hotel, itself built in 1849 along the main wagon route between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.History

Schools

Schools in Pinetown include:

• Pinetown Boys' High School
• Pinetown Girls' High School
• Benjamin Pine Primary School 
• Sarnia Primary School
• Highway Christian Academy
• John Wesley School
• Pinetown Junior & Senior Primary School
• Browns School
• St Benedict School Pinetown
• Lyndhurst Primary School
• New Germany Primary School
• Ashley Primary School.
• St Francis College.

The only Afrikaans-medium school in the area is "Gelofte Skool", whose name translates as "promise school" in Afrikaans.

Pre-Schools

Pre-Schools in Pinetown include:

• Kokkewiet Pre Pimêre Skool - Afrikaans
• Stepping Stones Pre-Primary School - English

Local businesses

Pinetown has a reputation as a "motor town", due to the high number of motor dealerships along Old Main Road. The city has several shopping centres, including Pine Crest and Pine Walk on Kings road, Knowles Spar superstore and St John's Checkers centre. A number of Do It Yourself (DIY) shops are located along Old Main road.

• Villa Valencia Bed & Breakfast

Medical facilities

Pinetown's medical facilities include:

• Life Crompton Hospital, a private hospital - Tel: 031 737 3000
• Medicross, a private medical centre - Tel: 031 709 3070
• Health Line Medical Center - Tel: 031 701 8868
• St Mary's, a government hospital in Mariannhill - Tel: 031 700 3375