Exploring with my camera
The morning had been hot and clear but the sky promised rain in the middle of the day. We only had misty showers in the rest camp, although the clouds gathered again at the end of the day. The sunset was … Continued
The Karoo National Park is just outside Beaufort West, in the Great Karoo, and situated in the Nuweveld Mountains and surrounding plains. It was established in 1979 after decades of efforts by local people to preserve the original veld in this … Continued
We arrived at the Karoo National Park in the burning afternoon haze, driving through the gate into the silent, magnificent scenery. We booked in at the reception, found our chalet, did some rinsing/washing, and sat down with a cup of … Continued
The weatherman forecast another hot day and so we set off early from Matjiesfontein to drive to the Karoo National Park via Beaufort West, 240 kms. I could hardly believe this was only our 6th day in South Africa!
Matjiesfontein is in the Great Karoo, a seemingly endless expanse of silent, semi-arid veld under huge skies, with mountains near and far, and baking, shuddering heat in the summer. The vastness and the isolation is haunting; it draws you closer when … Continued
In the Cape the expansion of the railways proceeded rapidly in the 1870s, passing the farm Vischkuil aan de Buffelsrivier which was owned by Stefanus Greeff. A small siding was built on the farm and the first plots sold for development. The … Continued
We were driving along the N1 towards Matjiesfontein when I noticed two memorials on a hillside and we turned off on to a very bumpy dirt road to investigate. We had found the Matjiesfontein Cemetery, about 10 kms west of Matjiesfontein … Continued
James Logan, the Laird of Matjiesfontein, was a cricket enthusiast and we stopped in Matjiesfontein because of this, and in particular because of the book, Empire, War, and Cricket in South Africa by Dean Allen.
Matjiesfontein is in the Great Karoo, surrounded by miles and miles of semi-arid countryside and endless mountains. It is a land you either love or hate – you can’t ignore it and it doesn’t allow neutrality. In this seemingly arid landscape … Continued
The station at Matjiesfontein was built in 1878 as part of a grand plan to open up the interior of South Africa for trading. Originally it was a small depot but the station developed into an influential business under the … Continued