When you've W driven across the narrow Carinus Bridge spanning the Berg River, that's when you know you've arrived in Velddrif. And you'll soon understand why: the confusing stop-street-slash-faux-circle situation where nobody really knows what they're supposed to do or which way to go aptly reflects the contrasting nature of this West Coast town.
This is a place where you'll still find kids participating in volkspele at a popular hotel on a Saturday afternoon, but it's also where a local dentist has orange dreadlocks and looks like he'd be more at home at AfrikaBurn than with a dentist's drill in his hand.
And it is home to Rob and Maria Kirsten, who, at first glance, are the antithesis of what you'd expect a couple living in a small West Coast town to look like. Seeing Rob for the first time, you'd be forgiven if your thoughts immediately turned to Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones - Keith in a bandana with sunflowers, a tie-dyed vest and barely-there swimming briefs. But whereas the legendary rock 'n' roll guitarist would probably be swigging a bottle of Jack Daniels at 4 in the afternoon, Rob is sipping on a Black Label and listening to David Gray when, on a Friday afternoon, I walk into the rustic braai area adjacent to the couple's house. He has an infectious smile, and a face lined by life, laughter and the sun.
"I grew up in Melkbos, in 5th Avenue, with my dad. I've always loved that town. But it's sad - he had to move away because the rates and taxes became unaffordable; at that stage, my sister and I couldn't help out. So we sold the house," he says in response to my complaint that the journey to Velddrif from Melkbos had been slow-going because of heavy traffic.
Bu hikaye go! Platteland dergisinin Spring 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye go! Platteland dergisinin Spring 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
There are few secrets in Verlorenvallei
All platteland towns have that one famous (or infamous) character who knows everyone's business. Meet Livia Hoogenboezem, the keeper of every piece of gossip in Verlorenvallei...
Make magic with winter's abundance
This winter menu is our invitation to look beyond the bewildered herb garden, move out of your comfort zone and bake a loaf of bread, appreciate the beauty of a head of cabbage, and invite the rain gods to the table to feast with you on venison pie, pudding and cake.
It takes a family
Christian Fry and his fiancé, Pippa de Lange, arrived at Dombeya with just a day to spare before the Covid-19 hard lockdown commenced in 2020. Their purpose was to save the Fry family farm from being sold. They've settled into life in their Elands River Valley haven now but continue to dream big and work hard.
For the love of birds...
They may be called birdwatchers but they are in fact using their ears. As Johan van Zyl discovered on his maiden outing as an \"avian tourist\" with BirdLife South Africa to find the 450 bird species that live in the Garden Route and Little Karoo.
To the babbling brooks of Sabie
Roughly every five years, Jaco and Jens Reverchon get itchy feet. They hopped around Cape Town, moved up north to the Greater Kruger and then, recently, put down roots next to the Sabie River where they live a peaceful life with their animals.
Creativity & community in Dinokeng
The driving force behind the successful Makers Village in Irene has now implemented the same concept in Cullinan, creating an incubator and exhibition space for entrepreneurs and artists. Platteland dropped in at this budding creative hub to find out what it's all about and came away impressed.
Willie Strauss Never an idle moment
A variety concert... that is how to approach your life and career when you want to survive as an artist living in the platteland. So says singer, lyricist and radio food expert Willie Strauss, who entices visitors to Die Sinkstoor in Cullinan with traditional offal and his mother's Bushmanland boerekos.
To die for
How do you avoid the tourist avalanche if you live in an Afromontane forest where holidaymakers descend in December? You drive to lonely outposts in the mountains of the Cape, says photographer Obie Oberholzer, and you make pictures rather than take them.
1 Fiat 500 2ha 4 boys...19000 miles!
When the go-cart that an engineer father had built for his four sons couldn't handle the tufty terrain on their 2-hectare plot in Montana, Pretoria, they hunted down a Fiat 500 in a salvage yard. They only wanted its suspension system, but Mom intervened, the car was saved, and those little daredevils clocked up an impressive 19000 miles - all without leaving the plot.
SUTHERLAND Cold town, warm hearts
Life in Sutherland in the Northern Cape isn't always easy, but even those who leave tend to return. Come with us to find out why.