Travel Blog - Firefly the Travel Guy

Somerset East’s Dutch Reformed Church at the top of Beaufort Street

Whenever I visit a new town the first thing I do is to go and find the town's Dutch Reformed Church. In most small towns in South Africa, they are the oldest church in a place and often a beautiful and interesting building. I did just that the first time I drove into Somerset East. These days I visit Somerset East a couple times a year but I still stop by the church every time to try and get a…

Comments Off

04/10/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

The beautiful stone Dutch Reformed church in Kareedouw

Kareedouw is the first town you get when driving along the R62 through the Langkloof coming from the eastern side. Like the rest of the region, it's a beautiful area with the Tsitsikamma Mountains to the south and the Kouga Mountains to the north. Standing with its back to the Tsitsikamma Mountains facing the town is the Kareedouw Dutch Reformed Church. The Kareedouw congregation separated from the Humansdorp Moedergemeente on 9 February 1906. The first call for a minister was…

Comments Off

13/09/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

The magnificence of the Kouga Dam overflowing

It's always a magnificent sight to see any dam overflow and even more so seeing the Kouga Dam overflowing after a prolonged period of severe drought. The Kouga Dam, is located in the Gamtoos Valley about 30km past Patensie en just before the gravel road into the Baviaanskloof. The dam was originally named the Paul Sauer Dam after Paul Oliver Sauer who was the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Water Affairs at the time and represented Humansdorp (a district that…

Comments Off

09/08/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

The on-site scale model of the Kouga Dam

I have visited the Kouga Dam near Patensie in the Gamtoos Valley many times over the years. In fact, back when I was a tourist guide I went there every two weeks with British tourists. In all those years I never knew of the scale model of the dam that can be found close to the picnic areas. A couple of years ago the area around the scale model was cleared and signposted. I finally got the chance to see…

Comments Off

06/08/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

Who is the Settler Family of the Grahamstown Settlers Monument?

I posted this picture of the Settlers Family statue in Makhanda / Grahamstown on my Encounter the Eastern Cape page on Facebook recently and Dave Bowker told me something I never knew. Firstly what I did know. The monument was designed by the sculptor Ivan Mitford-Barberton and erected in 1969, but this is what I didn't know. The three figures are Miles, Anne Maria and Elizabeth Bowker. Elizabeth married a Barber and was Ivan's grandmother. Although there was no photograph…

Comments Off

19/07/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

Schreiner House – “A Story of an African Farm” be here

Cradock is a town filled with history. Frontier Wars, the Groot Trek, Anglo Boer War and more. It's also a town that was called home by a number of historic figures. One of those being Olive Schreiner and there is a museum in the town where you can go and learn more about her. Olive Schreiner House at 9 Cross Street in Cradock is one of the houses in which Olive Schreiner (1855-1920), the political activist, feminist and author of the world-renowned novel, The Story of an African…

Comments Off

28/06/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

The Storms River Bridge

I don't know how many times I've crossed the Storms River Bridge over the years. Not even counting the number of times I stopped there back when I was a tourist guide. The other day I stopped for fuel and decided to take a walk onto the bridge for a change again. It's always an experience. The Storms River Bridge, originally called Paul Sauer Bridge, is a deck arch bridge designed by Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, and constructed by Concor…

Comments Off

06/06/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

The Victorian era designed Dutch Reformed Church of Jansenville

Each Karoo town has a different charm and atmosphere just like each one has an unique historic Dutch Reformed Church. The town of Jansenville is in no way any different. The Dutch Reformed Church in Jansenville is unusual in that the bell tower is separate from the church. The church is of typical Victorian-era design, complete with decorative plaster quoins on the corners of the exterior walls. The building was designed by prolific ecclesiastical architect Carl Otto Hager, whose plans…

Comments Off

24/05/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

The original illustrations of the Roberts Birds of South Africa book

A little while ago I visited Graaff-Reinet for a Karoo Heartland Marketing Association meeting at the Drostdy hotel. I arrived a little early and noticed tons of bird pictures up on the walls. While admiring them somebody asked if I knew that they were the original illustrations of the Roberts Birds of South Africa book. Say what? Now there's something I didn't know. Austin Roberts’ The Birds of South Africa was first published in 1940 and has been in print…

Comments Off

09/05/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

The Mount Ingwe Anglo Boer War Museum outside Port Elizabeth

This past weekend we joined the Eastern Cape Branch of the South African Military History Society on their quarterly outing. The destination. Lukas van der Merwe's Anglo Boer War Museum at Mount Ingwe in the Elandsrivier Valley between Port Elizabeth and Patensie. It's one of those attractions that I have heard of but didn't know much about and not having a bakkie or SUV I've never really considered heading out to it. The 50km dirt road from Rocklands near Uitenhage…

Comments Off

17/04/2024