Karoo

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The Dutch Reformed Church in Somerset East

Somerset East's historic Dutch Reformed Church stand on the main drag through town at the intersection with Beaufort Road.  After the village of Somerset (with the East only being added 30 years later) was established, a need started to arise for a church.  The corner stone of the church was laid in 1830 and it was completed in 1833.  The church in it's current form is the result of extensions made in 1870 with only    a few of the…

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15/03/2016
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The town of Somerset East

The town of Somerset East lies in the southern Karoo Heartland at the foot of the Boschberg mountain.  Somerset East was established by Lord Charles Somerset in 1815 as an experimental farm to provide meat and fresh produce to the soldiers on the Eastern Frontier.  The site was chosen over sites in the Gamtoos Valley and Swartkops Valley.  The farm was named Somerset Farm.  Ten years after being established the project was cancelled and a new Drostdy was declared.  The…

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11/03/2016
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Somerset East’s beautiful Beaufort Street

I spent a day in Somerset East recently just driving around town and visiting some of the historic building and attractions.  At first I thought about just doing one post featuring it all, but because there wasn't really a story to my visit (other than the fact that I was actually there for a Karoo Heartland meeting but couldn't help but going sightseeing) I decided to rather do a series on Somerset East featuring a different place or view every…

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09/03/2016
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Off the beaten track

Everybody should head off the beaten track at some stage or another. Stop in the middle of a Karoo dirt road and switch off the engine. Get out and stand in the middle of the road.  Feel the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair.  Listen to the cecadas with no car noise in ear shot. Smell the Karoo vegetation.  Watch the clouds move across the blue sky.  Can you taste it? What can it be?  Freedom.…

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03/03/2016
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Ganora Fossil Museum

When I grew up I wanted to be an archaeologist.  Somebody like Indiana Jones who discover lost cities and artifacts, dig up dinosaurs and made remarkable finds that would wow the world.  That dream kinda shattered when I found it it wasn't all quite as adventurous and glamorous.  Instead I went into tourism although the interest for archaeology is still there.  This interest truly got fed when I spent a night at Ganora Guestfarm out Nieu-Bethesda recently.  In prehistoric times the Karoo…

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09/10/2015
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Karoo koppies – Koffiebus and Teebus

The flat top koppies (mountains) of the Karoo is as part of this arid region of the country as windpompe, Angora goats, Karoo lamb, flowering aloes and big open skies.  Two of the best known Karoo koppies are the Koffiebus and Teebus south of the town of Steynsburg. The word "Bus" means pot in old Dutch as the hills are said to look like the old teapots and coffee pots of the early Dutch Settlers.  This means that if you had to translate, let's say,…

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03/10/2015
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Karoo rain selfie

I enjoy taking selfies.  It is something one has to do if you travel solo a lot (which I normally do when travelling for business) and want to at least be in a picture.  Selfies are also a way to tell people "Look where I am and you're not" making it a great tourism marketing tool.  Driving back to Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg I was on a quiet road between Steynsburg and Hofmeyr in the Karoo and stopped to stretch my legs.  There…

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21/09/2015
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Karoo windpomp

Two birds with one stone.  In this case two Karoo icons in one shot.  A windpomp and a couple of Karoo koppies.  In this case the Koffiebus and Teebus outside Steysnburg.

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18/09/2015
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Karoo road works stop-go scenery

Some people absolutely hate stop-goes at road works.  I used to be one of those but recently have changed my whole outlook on them.  I make a point of it to get out the car at each one to stretch my legs and to take in the surroundings.  Even chat to the driver of the car in front or behind me.  A week or two ago I drove up to Johannesburg for the Getaway Show and encountered road works on the way up…

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14/09/2015
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Cradock Moederkerk

Driving through the Karoo Heartland town of Cradock the other day I just couldn't help but to stop and snap a few pics of the "Moederkerk" in town.  I've played around with a couple of effects and this is what I came up with. Oh yes, and what is a post without a little bit of interesting historic info? The first Dutch Reformed congregation (and also the first church) in Cradock was established in 1824.  The present building was completed on the original site…

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10/09/2015