Witzenberg Municipality

 

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                                                                             A Splendid Cape Journey!

Witzenberg, a mere hour and a half’s drive away from Cape Town on Route 62, is nestled in the Cape Winelands district and consists of five gems, namely Ceres, Tulbagh, Wolseley, Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred’s Hamlet.

This picturesque valley is not only the origin of the best of South Africa’s deciduous fruit and wine products, but among the produce nurtured in Witzenberg are olives, grain, beef and pork.

The offering of things to see and do includes the historical Church Street, blockhouses and watershed.  For the outdoor enthusiasts, Witzenberg offers hiking, 4x4, abseiling, fauna and flora, fresh water fishing, mountain bike trails, San Rock paintings, Game and Nature Reserves, stargazing, cherry picking in Mid-November to Mid-January and snow during winter.

 

Tulbagh

Ceres

Wolseley

Prince Alfred's Hamlet & 
Koue Bokkeveld

 In 1699 the valley was named "Het Land van Waveren" by Governor WA van der Stel.  This scenic valley surrounded by majestic mountain ranges can be entered by traveling through anyone of the following historic passes:  Michells's Pass, Bainskloof or Nuwekloof.  This destination forms a perfect base for exploring the Western Cape and Breede River Valley.  Our valley has much to offer - famous wine estates, excellent museums, good restaurants, varied accommodations to suit all requirements, hikers and sport facilities.  The valley is famous for its vast heritage of Cape Dutch architecture, fruit farming, forest area, breathtaking scenery and above all, peace, tranquility and old fashioned hospitality.  A valley for all seasons.

 

Ceres was established in 1849 after the completion of Michell's Pass  in 1848.  It was almost impossible to reach Ceres from the Cape - wagons actually had to be taken apart and carried over the mountains by pack animals. 
Michell's Pass was built between 1846 and 1848.  The first plots were sold a year later.  The road through Ceres became the main route to the north when diamonds were discovered in Kimberley in the late 1800's.  Today the route is known as the "Forgotten Highway" and is developing as a tourist attraction.  Ceres is home to some of the best 4x4 routes, mountain bike trails, scenic hiking trails, abseiling, kloofing, quad biking, paragliding, game drives and fresh water fishing - a haven for outdoor and adventure lovers.
 Subsequent to Governor WA van der Stel naming this beautiful valley "Het Land van Waveren" in 1699, several farms were allocated to immigrants from Europe.  In 1875 the railway line from Wellington up to the farm Goedgevonden was completed and this point was called Ceres Road Station which served the Ceres area through Michell's Pass and was an important link between the Cape and the Kimberley diamond fields by means of stage coaches.  The first residential stands were offered for sale in the in the same year and in 1910 the town was named Wolseley, after Sir Garnet Wolseley, the British governor of Natal.   Wolseley is situated on a natural watershed and the vicinity offers practically all kinds of farming, such as fruit, vegetable, wine, olives, wheat, dairy and cattle farming. Through the efforts of Johannes Cornelius Goosen, a local farmer, a small town developed here which was named after Queen Victoria's second son who hunted in the area in 1865.  If you have the time, you'll no doubt enjoy a leisurely trip through the village of Prince Alfred's Hamlet, up the Gydo Pass into the upland valleys of the Koue Bokkeveld, to the proud village of Op die Berg and the estate Boplaas .  The latter is the ancestral home of the well-known Boerneef  .  In winter this area is often covered with a thick blanket of snow.

If you've traveled to Ceres via the Nuwekloof Pass and Tulbagh, now you have the chance to go back to Cape Town over the old Bainskloof Pass.   Even though the road may be pretty narrow, there are few places where you can safely stop and take pictures.

 

Click here for rainfall figures 2007

          Click here for rainfall figures 1960-2010

 

 

 

 

 

This site was last updated on 20/06/2008

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