Bill Corcoran, an Irish writer, finds literary bliss in inspirational Cape Town. Photo courtesy Bill Corcoran.

Coming from Ireland, a country that exists in a perpetual state of winter, I spent much of my teenage years dreaming of far-off destinations where the sun shines for more than a few weeks a year.

This need for sunshine combined with Ireland’s poor economic state of the early 1990s – there wasn’t a sniff of a job to be had – meant it was only a matter of time before I packed my bags and hit the road to see what the world could offer a restless spirit such as mine.

It was my older sister’s decision to move to Cape Town in 1992 that sparked my curiosity in South Africa.

So after a few years travelling the United States, Southeast Asia and Australia, I eventually jumped on a flight to the Mother City to see what had captured my sibling’s imagination. (Little did I know at the time that a strapping South African man more than anything else had tickled her fancy.)

That decision in 1996 turned out to be a seminal moment in my life, as the experiences I gathered over the following six months, through the people I met and places I visited, significantly influenced my subsequent choices. When the chance to live and work as a journalist in South Africa arose 10 years later, I did not have to be asked twice where I wanted to be based. Although I worked for the first few years in Johannesburg, I hatched a cunning plan that eventually steered me to Cape Town.

It’s not just the obvious that makes Cape Town a desirable and worthwhile destination. The Cape Winelands, Table Mountain and the pristine white sandy beaches are just the picture-postcard parts of the city and its hinterland; the tip of the iceberg in terms of things to see and do.

Cape Town has so much more to offer than the obvious, all one needs is a sense of adventure and the means to explore its hidden treasures.

From culture and history to the stark beauty of its colliding oceans and the coastlines they crash against; from the Cape Peninsula’s stunning scenery and wildlife to its unique flora and fauna, the list goes on and on. 

Although the land of my forefathers is a wonderful place, for the time being I have chosen to call Cape Town my home. And over the course of my series of blogs for Cape Town Tourism I hope to share with you many of the reasons why.