 |
Free State - Northern Freestate Routes |  |
|
This is the land of the Vaal River, a tributary of the Orange and South Africa's second largest watercourse; its waters are used extensively for irrigation, for the generation of electric power, for industry - and for recreation: the Vaal and its willow-shaded banks provide an attractive playground for thousands of holidaymakers and weekenders. Focal point is the Vaal Dam, a 300-square kilometre stretch of deep, bilharzia-free water much favoured by anglers. Here and along the river's reaches are resorts and hotels ranging from the simple to the sophisticated, hosting families that come for leisurely days of undemanding relaxation in the sunshine, for the watersports, for diversion and entertainment. Biggest and busiest of the region's centres is Sasolburg; prominent are Kroonstad, Vredefort, Parys.
Vaal Dam A mecca for dinghy sailors, water-skiers and powerboat enthusiasts. For those without their own boats, there's a charter service that accommodates groups of up to 20 people. The dam's surrounds offer picnic sites, walking trails; notable is the Jim Fouche Resort, which offers comfortable accommodation, restaurant, barbecue facilities, swimming pool, shop and riding stables. Sasolburg This industrial hub, site of the country's first, giant synthetic fuel project, is a relatively new town: it was founded in 1954 and took its name from the para-statal enterprise set up to exploit the region's mineral resources: Sasol is an acronym for the Afrikaans version of South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corportation. All of which sounds rather unattractive in tourist terms - but Sasolburg is by no means the dark and satanic place its name suggests. On the contrary, the planners did an excellent environmental job: the town is graced by green belts and pleasant open spaces, by a great many trees (nearly 100,000 of them to date, including 14 varieties of oak) and by some lovely parks, among them the Highveld Gardens in President Brand Street (a place of rockeries, dams and indigenous flora) and their next-door bird park. Villiers and Deneysville These two attractive little resort villages provide holiday accommodation and a wide range of family-type leisure activities (pools, playgrounds, miniature golf and so forth). Watersports - fishing, boating and skiing - are the main enticements. Vegkop A historically significant battle-site, a few kilometres to the south of the town of Heilbron. In 1836 the Ndebele (or Matabele) warrior-king Mzilikazi attacked the vanguard of the Voortrekkers, who were laagered near the Renoster River. The battle itself, though fiercely fought, ended in something of a stale-mate, but the Ndebele captured and drove away most of the trekkers' livestock. The Boers, however, went on to defeat Mzilikazi at Kapain and Mosega, the Ndebele capital (the battle of Mosega is noted for, among other things, Mzilikazi's ingenious use of oxen as cavalry). Mzilikazi then led his followers across the Limpopo River to found the powerful Matabele Kingdom in what is today south-western Zimbabwe. There's a monument and museum on site. Koppies Dam Nature Reserve This 4,300-hectare sanctuary, located around the Renoster River near the small, scenic centre of Koppies, is worth a visit for its complement of white rhino and other rare animals. Vredefort The town, whose name translates as 'fort of peace', has a notable claim to fame: the area is the epicentre of the world's third largest recognisable meteroite site: the huge (200,000 square kilometres) crater was created when the massive fell to earth, aeons ago, to expose the giant gold-bearing reefs of the Witwatersrand and Free State. The so-called 'Vredefort Dome' is a rugged, geologically distinctive feature of an otherwise rather bland, flattish countryside. Trails - hiking, mountain-biking and canoeing - through the outcrops and deep granite ravines of the Dome have been charted. Its steep slopes also provide good rock-climbing and abseiling. |
NOTE!
FS NORTHERN ROUTES Western Cape
|
|||||||
