Karatara

I know that the photos in today's post isn't the most scenic, but I wanted to end off the posts about Knysna's miners and woodcutters of the last couple of weeks where it all ended for most of those woodcutters. The woodcutters eked out an existence in the Knysna forest for about 200 years, frequently exploited … Continue reading Karatara →

The Free State town of Wepener

For me the journey to a destination is just as important as the destination itself. So many people get on the road and is in such a hurry to get to their end point, that they miss out on a whole lot of attractions and sights along the way. Along the way I normally do … Continue reading The Free State town of Wepener →

Constantia Farm Stall

What is it with farm stalls that make one want to turn off and have a look and see what they have to offer? Driving through the Eastern Free State on our way to the Drakensberg, we saw the Constantia Farm Stall (not referring to Constantia in Cape Town) outside Fickburg beckoning and slowed down for a … Continue reading Constantia Farm Stall →

1800’s graveyard in Prince Albert

I was walking exploring around the back streets of the Karoo town of Prince Albert and to my delight stumbled on discovered this old cemetery. It belongs to the NG Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) and the graves date between 1844 and 1884. Non of the graves really had grave stones, but they were all covered … Continue reading 1800’s graveyard in Prince Albert →

Ox wagons

I decided to start the week off with a nice varied Random ... theme post. The chosen Random ... theme is Ox Wagons. Ox wagons played an important roll in the early history of South Africa, in particular the Great Trek, and forms part of just about every museum exhibit throughout the country. They are … Continue reading Ox wagons →

Nieu Bethesda Fossil Centre

I love Indiana Jones and when I was younger I wanted to be an archaeologist discovering lost civilisations and crawling through jungles looking for artifacts. I still have an great interest in archaeology and have a small collection of fossils and other interesting bits which I hope to still add to in future. So on … Continue reading Nieu Bethesda Fossil Centre →

Herold

As you cross over the Montagu Pass from George into the Klein Karoo you enter a small village called Herold. Herold is tucked away in the mountains at the end of the beautiful historic pass. The town developed as a result of the the pass that was constructed in 1847. The town grew quite rapidly … Continue reading Herold →

Middleton

Barrelling along the N10 between Port Elizabeth and Cradock, most people don't even notice the little historic one horse Karoo town of Middleton. Situated about 20 km before reaching Cookhouse, Middleton is a charming little village steeped in history dating back to 1879. The village is situated next to the Great Fish River and includes … Continue reading Middleton →

Country Churches

Today is another Random ... theme day and the theme is Random Country Churches. Some of the smallest towns in the middle of nowhere will have magnificent old Dutch Reformed Churches dating back from the early days. In most cases these churches were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's not to only service … Continue reading Country Churches →

Poort-Pourri Kontreiwinkel

Driving towards De Rust and Oudtshoorn from Prince Albert takes one through Meiringspoort. Just before you enter the poort the road passes the little hamlet of Klaarstroom which has remained virtually unchanged since the days of Queen Victoria. As we were passing the turnoff into Klaarstroom my eye caught a peculiar sight and I nearly … Continue reading Poort-Pourri Kontreiwinkel →