Provincial route R62 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by WCDTPW and ECDRPW | ||||
Length | 504 km (313 mi) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | R60 near Ashton | |||
N12 in Oudtshoorn N9 / N12 near Holgate N9 near Uniondale N2 near Humansdorp | ||||
East end | R102 near Humansdorp | |||
Location | ||||
Country | South Africa | |||
Major cities | Ashton, Montagu, Barrydale, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, Joubertina, Kareedouw, Humansdorp | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The R62 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Ashton with Humansdorp. The R62 runs through the Little Karoo and the Langkloof, passing through Montagu, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, and Joubertina. [1]
The R62 begins in the Breede River Valley at an intersection with the R60, 5 km (3.1 mi) east of Ashton. It immediately crosses the Langeberg Mountains via the Cogmanskloof Pass, entering the Little Karoo on the opposite side of the mountains and passing through Montagu. It then follows the northern foothills of the Langberg mountains as far as Barrydale, before heading in a north-easterly direction to Ladismith. The route then heads east to follow the Swartberg Mountains, crossing the Gamka River through the Huisrivier Pass and passing through Calitzdorp before reaching the Little Karoo's largest town, Oudtshoorn. [1]
At Oudtshoorn, the R62 heads south and is concurrent with the N12 in the direction of George for 33 km (21 mi) until reaching the N9/N12 intersection at the northern edge of the Outeniqua Mountains. The route then leaves the N12 and immediately becomes concurrent with the N9 in an easterly direction (towards Uniondale) for 71 km (44 mi) until the combined N9/R62 route reaches the head of the Langkloof valley near the Potjiesberg Pass.
At the head of the Langkloof valley, the R62 branches off from the N9 and, still heading in an easterly direction, follows the valley for approximately 160 km (99 mi) towards the coastal plain to exit the Little Karoo. It passes through Avontuur and then after passing Haarlem crosses into the Eastern Cape.
The route then passes through Joubertina and Kareedouw. The route eventually emerges on to the coastal plain near Humansdorp, upon which it crosses the N2 coastal highway and terminates immediately thereafter at an intersection with the old coastal road, the R102. [1]
The R62 is associated with the Route 62 tourist route connecting Cape Town and Gqeberha (formerly named Port Elizabeth).
The N1 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Polokwane to Beit Bridge on the border with Zimbabwe. It forms the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road.
The Karoo is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is also not precisely defined. The Karoo is partly defined by its topography, geology and climate, and above all, its low rainfall, arid air, cloudless skies, and extremes of heat and cold. The Karoo also hosted a well-preserved ecosystem hundreds of million years ago which is now represented by many fossils.
Kannaland Municipality is a local municipality located within the Garden Route District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The municipal area is situated in the western part of the Little Karoo and includes the towns of Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Zoar. As of 2022, it has a population of 31,986. Its municipality code is WC041.
Route 62 is a tourist route in South Africa that meanders between Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route, and Gqeberha, offering the scenic alternative to the N2 highway. Route 62 is named for the R62 provincial route, which it follows from Montagu to Humansdorp, but the tourist route extends further along other highways to Cape Town and Gqeberha.
The Swartberg mountains are a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is composed of two main mountain chains running roughly east–west along the northern edge of the semi-arid Little Karoo. To the north of the range lies the other large semi-arid area in South Africa, the Great Karoo. Most of the Swartberg Mountains are above 2000 m high, making them the tallest mountains in the Western Cape. It is also one of the longest, spanning some 230 km from south of Laingsburg in the west to between Willowmore and Uniondale in the east. Geologically, these mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt.
The R328 is a Regional Route in Western Cape, South Africa that connects Mossel Bay in the south to Prince Albert in the north via Oudtshoorn.
The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Port Shepstone and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of 2,255 kilometres (1,401 mi) makes it the longest numbered route in South Africa.
George is the second largest city in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre, as well as the administrative and commercial hub and the seat of the Garden Route District Municipality. It is named after the British Monarch George III.
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.
The N12 is a national route in South Africa which runs from George through Beaufort West, Kimberley, Klerksdorp and Johannesburg to eMalahleni.
Calitzdorp is a town on the Western side of the Little or Klein Karoo in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and lies on South Africa's Route 62.
The Langkloof is a 160 km-long (99 mi) valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village northeast of George, and The Heights – just beyond Twee Riviere.
The Outeniqua Mountains, named after the Outeniqua Khoikhoi who lived there, is a mountain range that runs a parallel to the southern coast of South Africa, and forms a continuous range with the Langeberg to the west and the Tsitsikamma Mountains to the east. It was known as Serra de Estrella to the Portuguese. The mountains are part of the Garden Route of South Africa.
The N9 is a national route in South Africa that connects George with the N1 at Colesberg, via Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg.
Thomas Charles John Bain was a South African road engineer. As a prolific road building pioneer, Bain was responsible for the planning and construction of more than 900 km of roads and mountain passes, many of them still in use today, over a career spanning from 1848 until 1888. These passes through the mountain ranges between the thin coastal plain and the interior of the former Cape Colony in South Africa, played a major role in opening up the vast hinterland of South Africa.
The Outeniqua Pass is a mountain pass in the Western Cape, South Africa, that carries the N9/N12 national road through the Outeniqua Mountains north of George. It connects George and the Garden Route coastal plain with Oudtshoorn and the Little Karoo. It was constructed between 1943 and 1951, replacing the Montagu Pass as the main route from George to the interior.
The Cape Pioneer Trek is a 7-day South African mountain biking event through the Great and Little Karoo.
Cogmanskloof Pass is a mountain pass in Western Cape, South Africa, on the R62 provincial road over the Langeberg between Ashton in the Boland and Montagu in the Little Karoo. The pass was built by Thomas Charles John Bain and completed in 1877 as one of the first routes inland through that mountain range.