 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2019) |
| Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | Nature reserve |
| Location | Overberg |
| Coordinates | 33°59′08.4″S20°49′24.7″E / 33.985667°S 20.823528°E |
| Area | 250 hectares (620 acres) |
| Website | Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve - CapeNature |
Grootvadersbosch is a historic farm in the Overberg, and the surrounding area is currently a nature reserve in the southern portion of the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area, in Western Cape, South Africa.
Grootvadersbosch is in the foothills of the Langeberg, east of Oude Post and the Tradouws Pass to Barrydale and north of the gravel road from Swellendam over the Buffeljags River to Suurbraak and Heidelberg. Both the Slang River (not the one in Mpumalanga) and the Duiwenhoks River spring from the region.
Grootvadersbosch is the largest remaining native forest in the Langeberg. Both a foot trail and a mountain bike trail have been developed in the reserve.
The Cape bushbuck was first seen by European scientists in this forest in 1776, when the Swede Anders Sparrman visited. After searching for more than 50 years, herpetologist John D. Visser finally found eggs of the frog species known as the Eastern ghost frog (Heleophyryne orientalis) here.
Dutch East India Company soldiers began cutting trees in this forest early on. Trekboers settled in the area, and in 1724 Roelof Olofsz founded Grootvadersbosch farm. Later, it would be owned by Jacobus Steyn. In 1744, Dutch Cape Colony Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel founded as school here where Abraham Schietekat worked as a teacher and ministered to the local Boers. Benjamin Moodie purchased the farm in 1817, and the Moodie family cradle in Southern Africa would become one of the leading farms in the Overberg. It supplied wood, wheat, fruit, tobacco, wine, and brandy. The farm was visited by several famous people over the years: the botanists Carl Peter Thunberg and Francis Masson in 1772, traveler and explorer François Levaillant in 1782, the missionary botanist James Backhouse, and the missionary John Philip in 1830.
Fynbos is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate and rainy winters. The fynbos ecoregion is within the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. In fields related to biogeography, fynbos is known for its exceptional degree of biodiversity and endemism, consisting of about 80% species of the Cape floral kingdom, where nearly 6,000 of them are endemic. This land continues to face severe human-caused threats, but due to the many economic uses of the fynbos, conservation efforts are being made to help restore it.
Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east. The boundaries of the Overberg are the Hottentots-Holland mountains in the West; the Riviersonderend Mountains, part of the Cape Fold Belt, in the North; the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the South and the Breede River in the East.
Swellendam Municipality is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of 2011 it had a population of 35,916. Its municipality code is WC034.
Swellendam is the fifth oldest town in South Africa, a town with 17,537 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 provincial heritage sites, most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture. Swellendam is situated on the N2, approximately 220 km from both Cape Town and George.
The Overberg District Municipality is a district municipality that governs the Overberg region in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is divided into four local municipalities and includes the major towns of Grabouw, Caledon, Hermanus, Bredasdorp and Swellendam. The municipal area covers 12,241 square kilometres (4,726 sq mi) and had in 2007 an estimated population of 212,787 people in 60,056 households.
Gansbaai is a fishing town and popular tourist destination in the Overberg District Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. It is known for its dense population of great white sharks and as a whale-watching location.
The Langeberg Range is a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its highest peak is Keeromsberg at 2,075 m that lies 15 km northeast of the town of Worcester. Some of the highest peaks of the range are located just to the north of Swellendam, in a subrange known as the Clock Peaks whose highest point is the 1,710 m high Misty Point. Local lore states one can tell the time by means of the shadows cast by the seven summits of the Clock Peaks.
Heidelberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2 highway, 274 km east of Cape Town. Heidelberg is just east of the Overberg region, and some consider it the beginning of the Garden Route. Heidelberg is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality. Fourie House on Fourie Street is the oldest house in Heidelberg.
Barrydale is a village located on the border of the Overberg and Klein Karoo regions of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. It was named after Joseph Barry, a well-known merchant of the 19th century. It is situated at the northern end of the Tradouws Pass which winds its way through the mountains to Swellendam.
Marloth Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Swellendam Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. It conserves the central Langeberg mountains, between the towns of Swellendam, Ashton, Barrydale and Suurbraak. The reserve includes the Clock Peaks, two prominent landmarks near Swellendam.
Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West.
Bontebok National Park is a species-specific national park in South Africa. It was established in 1931 to ensure the preservation of the Bontebok. It is the smallest of South Africa's 18 National Parks, covering an area of 27.86 km2 The park is part of the Cape Floristic Region, which is a World Heritage Site.
Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) south-east of Cape Town and 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.
Riversdale is a town located on the N2 highway between Cape Town and George on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape province of South Africa. It is an agricultural service oriented town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller towns, and coastal resorts, like Witsand and Stilbaai. It is located beneath the imposing Langeberg Mountains to the north, with Sleeping Beauty Mountain overlooking the town.
Baardskeerdersbos is a village in the Overberg region of the Western Cape province of South Africa. According to the 2011 census it has a population of 103 residents.
The wine regions of South Africa were defined under the "Wine of Origin" act of 1973. Mirroring the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, all South African wines listing a "Wine of Origin" must be composed entirely of grapes from its region. The "Wine of Origins" (WO) program mandates how wine regions of South Africa are defined and can appear on wine labels. While some aspects of the WO are taken from the AOC, the WO is primarily concerned with accuracy in labeling. As a result, the WO does not place adjunct regulations on wine regions such as delineating permitted varieties, trellising methods, irrigation techniques, and crop yields.
Buffeljagsriver is a river that originates where two other rivers meet, one being the Grootvadersbos River and the other the Tradou River. The confluence is just east of a small town, Suurbraak, Western Cape province. The Tredouw's Pass is situated just north of this meeting point. To the west of the town the river flows into the Buffeljags Dam, and the river then heads south to join the Breede River, not far from the Bontebok National Park.
Kogelberg Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of 3,000 ha comprising the Kogelberg Mountain Range, to the east of Cape Town, South Africa.
Situated halfway between Cape Town, South Africa and George, you will find Olivedale. It is a small farming community located at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains and marks the spot where the Buffeljagsriver and the Breede River meet. The entrance to Olivedale has a display of farm implements from the days of yore, with cattle roaming free and fruit orchards turning the area into different shades of pink and purple from September.