Oudtshoorn - A Short History
About 300 km east of Cape Town, across a semi-arid stretch of country known as the Klein Karoo,
lies Oudtshoorn, the principal centre and 'capital' of ostrich country, a town synonymous
with feathers, fame, art, culture and the Cango Caves. The farm Hartebeesrivier was the
original site of the town and when the farm owner, CP Rademeyer, donated 4 ha of ground a
church was built and completed in April 1839, as an addition to the existing community
centre.
Around 1839 the place was named Oudtshoorn after the grand daughter of Baron van Reede van
Oudtshoorn, newly-appointed governor of the Cape. She was the wife of the Civil Commissioner
of George. The people of George looked down their noses at this new neighbour and dubbed it
'Velskoendorp' – after the raw hide shoes worn by the inhabitants. Oudtshoorn became a magistracy
in 1855 and a municipality on 1 September 1863.
Oudtshoorn is linked to the Garden Route by means of the Robinson Pass to Mossel Bay (R328) - and
the Outeniqua Pass to George (N12). Route 62 (R62) is an interesting, scenic route
connecting Cape Town to Oudtshoorn.
The Ostrich Feather Boom
The town had its first claim to fame in the 1860's when ostrich farms were set up – mainly in
Europe - to meet the demand for decorative ostrich feathers. Apart from a 2-year lull after 1885,
a result of the fickleness of the fashion trade, the industry thrived until the slump of 1914,
since then it has never fully revived. During the 'feather boom' a number of excellent architects
such as George Wallis, Charles Bullock and JE Vixeboxse, opened offices here and by the time of
the slump had accomplished much in providing a distinctive architectural heritage for Oudtshoorn,
which reflects the opulence and splendour of the Ostrich Feather Boom of 1860-1914.
Today ostriches
are farmed mainly for the production of exquisite leather products, as a source of meat and as a
tourist attraction. Feathers are still in demand for events like the Rio Carnival in Brazil and
the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France.
The Cape Floral Kingdom
The CAPE FLORISTIC REGION – comprising of 8 protected areas stretching from the Cape Peninsula to
the Eastern Cape – is the 6th South African Site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). This includes the
Swartberg Mountain Range which provides a scenic background at Buffelsdrift.
The CAPE FLORAL KINGDOM represents less than 0.5% of the area of Africa, but is home to nearly 20%
of the continent's flora. Its plant species diversity, density and endemism are among the highest
worldwide and it has been identified as one of the world's 18 biodiversity hotspots. The site displays
outstanding ecological and biological processes associated with the Fynbos vegetation, which is unique
to the CAPE FLORAL REGION.
The eight heritage sites considered the most important examples of the CAPE FLORAL KINGDOM are:
- Table Mountain National Park
- The Swartberg Mountains
- De Hoop Nature Reserve
- The Boland mountain complex
- The Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area
- The Boosmansbos Wilderness Area
- The Cederberg Wilderness Area
- The Baviaanskloof
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