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Introduction
From the scenic Eastern Highlands with sandstone cliffs to its golden maize fields, Freestate is known as 'Big
Sky Country'. It is an ideal stop over between the Cape and Johannesburg. The Northern Cape is the largest province
in South Africa but is often not even mentioned in some publications. Having said that, its fragile environment
would probably be ruined by large visitor numbers - there are apparently already some restrictions in place. The
mighty Orange River acts as an important life line through the dry countryside. Along the river's fertile valley
are farms producing vegetables, fruit and grapes. North of the Orange river are the red sand dunes of the Kalahari
desert which stretches up into Namibia. Although arid, the area supports an astonishing variety of wildlife adapted
to live in such a harsh environment. |
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Karoo Desert
The arid, sparsely populated Karoo Desert stretches across the Northern Cape
and into the Freestate. Dotted through the desert are small towns, often with fine examples of Cape Dutch and Victorian
architecture. Their main aim is to act as supply centres for the surrounding farms - often of vast acreage but
only able to support relatively few marino sheep and cattle. During the Spring rains in September/October the inhospitable
desert landscape blooms with carpets of wild flowers and much of the countryside turns an uncharacteristic lush
green! |
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Upington
The Northern Cape's second largest town is in an area of cotton, fruit, lucerne and grape growing farms. It has
the reputation of being the hottest place in South Africa! It is the site of the first wilderness mission station
and where the first irrigation channels were dug. Only 100Km from Upington, the Augrabes falls thunder through
the largest granite gorge in the world - the water drops 182 feet into the gorge. |
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Beaufort West
The largest and oldest of the Karoo towns, it has a very attractive centre with a wide main street lined in many
places by pear trees, some dating back to the 1830's. The N1 road linking Johannesburg with Cape Town passes right
through the town. Christian Barnard, the South African doctor who performed the world's first heart transplant,
was born in Beaufort West - his father was the minister and his mother played the church organ. An excellent museum
is made up of the old Dutch Reform Church, the Parsonage (where Barnard was born and grew up) and the old Town
Hall and includes a representation of open heart surgery and all the honorary degrees, medals and gifts that Barnard
received. Another famous son celebrated in the museum is Dr Eric Louw, the MP for Beaufort West who became South
Africa's Foreign Minister between 1957 - 1963. Close to Beaufort West is the Karoo Nature Reserve - an area where
the visitor can see many of the indigenous plants and animals of the Great Karoo |
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Kimberley
On the eastern edge of the Great Karoo desert, Kimberley (the city that sparkles!) is most famous for its diamond
mines. The largest man-made hole on the planet (2,600 feet deep) is surrounded by the De Beers Mining Museum -
a collection of reclaimed and restored buildings of the 19th century when the mines were at the height of their
fame - over 30,000 miners worked in Kimberley during the 1870's. Although the Big Hole was closed as a working
mine in 1914, diamond mining is still a local industry where many of the original waste tips are now being re worked.
The Museum is undergoing a huge De Beers-financed facelift which should be completed in 2007. Interesting to visit
now, it should be a very exciting diamond history centre when all the work is completed. A trip from the Big Hole
to City Hall by the re introduced tramway will be an added tourist attraction. The McGregor Museum in the town
is housed in an old sanatorium which was originally commissioned by Cecil Rhodes and gives a good insight into
the history of the city. There are also a couple of art galleries worth visiting. One can also take in the everyday
life of a township with a visit to Galeshewe, or follow in the footsteps of Anglo-Boer War Generals or personalities
like Sol Plaatje, the first black African to write a novel in English. Within the Kimberley area the visitor can
find fly-fishing, water rafting, game viewing, dune climbing or historical walks. The beautiful city suburbs are
full of distinctive Kimberley architecture in old and famous houses. |
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