Van Wyksdorp


After stopping for some photos of the church in Herbertsdale we decided to follow the road to the next town, Van Wyksdorp.  What we did not realize was that Van Wyksdorp was 81 km away on a gravel road (not always in a great condition) and 2 passes (Cloete and Du Plessis passes).  It took us about 2 hours to get there, with 2 short stops for photos.  
(While writing this post I am realize that I did not take photos of the road, pass and bridges along the route.  
I am sorry because we will probably not drive them again.)


First we stopped for some photos of the view and the second stop was when we saw an obelisk next to the road. The obelisk is a memorial to commander Barend Mattys van Heerden.  He was shot by Piet Matthyse, a murder suspect while Commander van Heerden was tracking him. 
(For more information in Afrikaans you can read here)


After a short stop we continued te the town. Van Wyksdorp was founded in 1838 on the farm Buffelsfontein as a Dutch Reformed parish.  The name was due to the large number of Van Wyk residents in the area.
 
The beautiful Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1907

The school was built in 1912 and once had 200 pupils

It did not take long to drive through the town.  We then drove home via Ladismith.

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