Exploring with my camera
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
It had been a long, hot day filled with wonderful scenery. We travelled from the winelands of the Tulbagh Valley into the Warm Bokkeveld through Michell’s Pass, and from there into the Little Karoo. And then, after driving through miles of … Continued
The days in Tulbagh had been magical – the weather was hot, the skies were clear, the scenery was magnificent – but we had an itinerary to follow, and so we set off early in the morning to drive the … Continued