Graaff Reinet - 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

Graaff Reinet Kruithuis on Magazine Hill

The hill behind Graaff-Reinet is known as magazine Hill. But do you know why it has the name? Perhaps there was a battle fought here during the Anglo Boar War. Maybe local Burgers shot at the British from here while the town declared independence. Could a rebel have been shot here at some stage during the history of the town? The answer isn't quite as tragic or exciting, but it could easily have been linked to such an event. Also,…

Comments Off

25/01/2024

Firefly the Travel Guy

A weird monument of rocks dedicated to Gideon Scheepers outside Graaff-Reinet

If you drive out of Graaff-Reinet on the Murraysburg road toward the Valley of Desolation, you may notice a strange looking memorial on the left-hand side near the Nqweba Dam. Monuments are normally big marble or stone memorials and statues with a bronze plaque but this one is anything but. The Gideon Scheepers Memorial is made up of three rocks from the vicinity supporting a stainless steel needle, symbolising the spirit of hope and faith in God. The largest rock…

Comments Off

25/10/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Take Graaff-Reinet Anglo Boer War memorial

Graaff-Reinet isn't just the sixth oldest town in South Africa or the town with the most historical monuments in the country. The town and its district also have a rich history of Voortrekker history, Anglo-Boer War history and history connected to the freedom struggle. One of the monuments in town that not a lot of people get to see is the Anglo-Boer War Memorial on the corner of Donkin and Somerset Streets. It's a pity because it's actually a striking…

Comments Off

12/09/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

An angel of victory and peace in Graaff-Reinet

When you drive up the main road through Graaff-Reinet the magnificent Dutch Reformed Church (Groot Kerk) awaits you at the top of the street. As you drive around the church you find the town's beautiful Town Hall hiding behind it and perched in the Mayor's Garden stands a statue of an angel holding a sword. Three months after the end of the First World War a decision was made to erect a monument in honour of the gallant Graaff-Reinet men…

Comments Off

09/08/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

In search of the Aberdeen bed grave

I would like to believe that I am a true ambassador of the Eastern Cape and know a thing or two about what this beautiful and diverse province has to offer visitors and explorers. Would I go as far as to call myself an expert? Mhe... Not sure. I still have a long list of places I still want to visit and things to see. Until recently one of these was the bed grave between Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen. The site…

Comments Off

03/08/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

A French Huguenot memorial in the Karoo

When you think of the French Huguenots you automatically think of Franschhoek surrounded by mountains, greenery, and vineyards. And wine, let's not forget the wine. So try and imagine then a memorial to the French Huguenots in the Karoo Heartland town of Graaff-Reinet. On 31 December 1687 the first group of Huguenots set sail from France as part of a large-scale emigration of Huguenots to the Cape of Good Hope due to religious persecution. About 350 Huguenots eventually settled at…

Comments Off

28/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Remembering the Independence of Graaff-Reinet

Did you know that Graaff-Reinet declared independence from the Cape Colony at the end of the 1700s? Or that there is a monument commemorating this event in town? I knew about the shortlived independence but even though I have been to Graaff-Reinet many times before I didn't realise there was a monument to it. On my last trip I knew what to look for and finding it really was a facepalm moment. If it was a snake it would have…

Comments Off

24/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

The Union Monument pyramid in Graaff-Reinet

The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt are one of the most famous monuments in the world. At some stage in history, pyramids also became very popular grave markers. Probably the best-known pyramid monument in South Africa is the Donkin Memorial in Port Elizabeth, erected by Sir Rufane Donkin in memory of his wife Elizabeth in 1820. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there is a pyramid monument in Graaff-Reinet as well. This monument overlooks the town from the…

1 Comment

19/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Looking north with the Andries Pretorius Monument

The Great Trek had a number of leaders that will always be remembered in the Afrikaner history of South Africa. In 1836 Dutch-speaking settlers started moving northeast into the interior of what is today known as South Africa away from the Cape Colony. They were traveling in wagon trains made up of ox wagons and horses seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial administration. One of those leaders was a man named Andries Pretorius from the Graaff-Reinet district. General…

1 Comment

07/07/2023