Oudtshoorn

On Friday 9 August 2013 we spent the day in Oudtshoorn, a town in the Klein Karoo.  It is about 85km from our home in Mossel Bay.  We decided to take the longer route via George and the Outeniqua pass to Outshoorn (about 110km).


Growing up in George we regularly visited Oudtshoorn for sports, school trips and family outings.  On this visit we decided not to visit the “big” tourist attractions but rather walk and explore the town.  We started by walking in Baron van Rheede Street.  The street is lined with beautiful old homes and lots of churches.



The town started in the 18th century around the church and was officially laid out in the 1840’s.  It was named after Baron Pieter van Rheede van Oudtshoorn.  The town exploded during the Ostrich Boom in the late 18th century.  Many ostrich farmers made a lot of money and built beautiful houses or “Ostrich Palaces”.  The boom ended in 1913 and the war that followed lead to the insolvency of many farmers.


We had a great time walking in Oudsthoorn even in the cold weather.  The town has lots of beautiful old buildings and churches and the mountains around the town was white with snow.

 I have been having trouble to find write about this day trip but I will share more of the places we saw in the next few posts.  And I think it is time to return for a visit the Cango Caves, Cango Wildlife Ranch and maybe an Ostrich Farm. 

Comments

  1. Filolog27 March, 2015 21:09

    Known as the 'Feather Capital' of the world because of the large ostrich industry in the area.
    The home of poet and writer C J Langenhoven is also worth visiting.

    ReplyDelete

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