The Valley of Plenty - 280km

TULBAGH

...lies in a secluded valley that was originally named Het Land van Waveren by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel after the influential Van Waveren family of Amsterdam. The town was proclaimed in 1804, and was named after the former Dutch Governor, Ryk Tulbagh. Enclosed by mountains on three sides, the valley is a mosaic of orchards, vineyards, wheat fields and fynbos-clad mountain slopes. The town is famous for the many magnificent Cape Dutch and Victorian buildings lining Church Street, which stretches between the old Dutch Reformed Church and its parsonage.

On the night of 29 September 1969, Tulbagh was struck by an earthquake measuring 6,4 on the Richter scale. As a result of the quake, 23 buildings had to be completely restored. The Old Dutch Reformed Church, built in1743 to a cruciform design, is the focal point of the Oude Kerk Volksmuseum. The church, along with three annexes in Church Street, has displays of old furniture and porcelain, as well as material on the 1969 earthquake and local geology. Other noteworthy buildings include the old Drostdy (1806), Mon Bijou (1812), the Dutch Reformed Parsonage (1769) and Ballotina, with its unusual gable.

PADDAGANG

...is situated on the west side of Tulbagh’s Church Street, against the backdrop of mountains. A verdant lawn leads up to a Cape Dutch building dating back to 1809, when it was built as a residence. In 1821 it became one of the the country’s first tap-houses (a combination of bar and retail outlet for wine), a purpose it served until such establishments were prohibited due to the disturbances created by drunken soldiers and sailors. After careful restoration, Paddagang was opened in 1974 as a restaurant and wine house.

The name means ‘frog passage’, and is said to refer to an early irrigation canal much favoured by frogs. In the restaurant, visitors can enjoy traditional Cape fare such as waterblommetjie bredie, venison pie and sweet potatoes, accompanied by local wines. A fine range of wines with innovative frog themes is produced under the Paddagang label.

TULBAGH WINELANDS

The Tulbagh area is especially suited to white cultivars such as weisser riesling, cape riesling, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. The Tulbagh wine route comprises nine wineries, with the Drostdy Winesr and Twee Jonge Gezellen, Theuniskraal and Lemberg estates among the best-known names.

GOUDA

The name of this small town immediately brings to mind the famous Dutch cheese, but the name is in fact of Khoikhoi origin, and is variously said to mean ‘antelope’, ‘honey path’ or ‘honey defile’. Originally known as Porterville Road, Gouda served as a railhead for Porterville until the branch line from Hermon was built in 1929.

Voëlvlei Dam, 6 km to the south, plays an important role in the supply of water to Cape Town and in controlling and augmenting the flow of the Berg River. Built in 1952, the dam has a capacity of 16 million m3, and behind the 17,7-m-high dam wall lies an 8-km-long lake.

PORTERVILLE

...at the foot of the Olifants River Mountains, is an agricultural centre for the surrounding farms, which concentrate on wheat and wine. Wine production is focused mainly on white varietals such as chardonnay, colombard, sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc, and the town falls within the Swartland wine region.

Porterville was laid out on the farm Pomona, which was subdivided into plots in 1863. Its name honours William Porter, the popular Attorney-General of the Cape Colony from 1839 to 1866. The scenic Dasklip Pass, linking the Swartland with the plateau below the Groot Winterhoek mountains, is a popular hang-gliding site.

PIEKENIERSKLOOF PASS

The formidable barrier presented by the Olifants River Mountains, originally known as the Groote Clooff (Large Kloof), was first crossed on 7 December 1660 by a Dutch soldier, Jan Danckaert. In 1675, a band of Khoikhoi raiders escaped across the mountains because the pursuing commandos were weighed down by their heavy pikes.

Following a report to the Council of Policy in 1739, a military post was set up to defend Swartland farmers against Khoisan attacks and the name Piekenierskloof (piekenier means a guard armed with a pike) became established. It was not until 1857 that Thomas Bain began building a road through the pass.

Completed the following year, it was named Grey’s Pass, after the British Governor, Sir George Grey. When the new pass was built higher up the mountain slopes, it was given its original name.

CITRUSDAL

Situated along the upper reaches of the Olifants River Valley, Citrusdal is bounded in the west by the Olifants River mountains and by the Cedarberg range to the east. The area was first explored in 1660 by the Dutch soldier Jan Danckaert and farmers began settling in the fertile valley in 1725. Citrusdal is the centre of the country’s third-largest citrus-producing area, and accounts for about 14 per cent of the total crop. It is especially noted for its navel and Valencia oranges, grown by about 200 farmers in the area.