I stop the motorbike between a flying saucer and an old car that’s ploughed nose first into the desert sand. It looks like it was ejected from a Mad Max rerun on the dark side of the moon. But perhaps it’s the handiwork of the two alien-looking creatures I see walking towards the flying saucer in the distance; you never know what powers grey’s possess.
What eventually brings me back to earth is the IEC flag flying in the distance. There are no queues to vote at this tiny voting station next to the quirky Tankwa Padstal, you simply arrive on your donkey cart or motorbike and vote straight away. But with the nearest settlement (Op-die-Berg) 60km away, you’d probably expect that.
I’m crossing the barren Tankwa Karoo on my old Kawasaki scrambler, heading for Calvinia in the Hantam Karoo, about 200km distant. Even for a desert lover like me, the Tankwa can seem a pretty featureless place, particularly before you get closer to the Roggeveld escarpment that surrounds the main offices of the Tankwa Karoo National Park.
Visitors are lured here with promises of moonscapes, the brightest stars, utter stillness and the chance of seeing some of the hard-to-spot antelope. Yet, even though you’re more likely to have a puffadder cuddle up next to your braai fire — true story — and be harassed by marauding solifugids than be inundated with traditional game sightings, the austere beauty of this parched land is unique, and addictive.
A lone male springbok sprints across the track in front of me, leaving tracer-like dust-puffs hanging in its wake. Eventually I pass the SANParks offices at Roodewerf, relieved to finally leave the iron-hard corrugations and wheel-sucking sand of the crossing behind me.
I’m looking forward to the rugged 46-bend Ganagga Pass ahead. The difficulty of the climb is largely weather dependent as the surface is not normally too challenging. The clear skies outline the jagged cuttings and sculptural formations, while the panoramic views along the 550m climb, are both arresting and freeing at the same time.
The first university-qualified botanist to explore this region was Swede Carl Peter Thunberg. In 1774, he and his party travelled a circuitous route from Cape Town to the Bokkeveldberge and then onto where Loeriesfontein is today, before heading over the Hantamberge and passing close to modern-day Calvinia; and finally southwards to the Roggeveld escarpment.
With great difficulty, he and his retinue of wagons made it down to the Tankwa Karoo via a crude 670m high “pass” between today’s Ganagga and Ouberg passes. They descended at a place called Uitkyk, where due to the steepness, “not only the two hind wheels were obliged to be locked with chains, but the wagon itself to be held fast by the Hottentots, by means of ropes, to prevent it from oversetting and falling down upon the oxen”, wrote Thunberg in his Travels at the Cape of Good Hope 1772-1775.
Besides being able to enjoy the far-spreading views in the good weather from the top of Gannaga Pass, I’m glad it’s not raining for another reason. The 30km from the pass’ summit to the old trading post of Middelpos can be super slippery in rainy weather.
I haven’t passed through this family-owned town for some time, and I’m planning just to top up the bike’s tank and quickly move on to my accommodation in Calvinia. But I discover soon after arriving that they have stopped selling petrol. Luckily my old warhorse has a significant supply left and I’m pretty confident I’ll make the 80km remaining.
Instead, I sit on the stoep a while, replenishing my own tank with some on-board snacks and fluids, while reminiscing about the history of this unique little town. The roots of the settlement began in 1860, when a travelling merchant, or “smous”, as they were better known, named Daniel Tomlinson, established a trading post here.
The hotel was completed sometime later and has links with the late actor, Sir Anthony Sher. His grandfather, Joel Sher, a trader from Calvinia, who apparently supplied the Boers during the Anglo-Boer War, went into partnership with two others when the war was over and bought the Middelpos trading post. It was memories of his many holiday visits to his uncle at “Middlepost” that probably formed the characters of Sher’s eponymous book (1988).
On the outskirts of Calvinia I come across a modest monument to another historical figure. Abraham Esau, a blacksmith, British loyalist, intelligence gatherer and town guardsman, who was determined to protect Calvinia from the invading Boers, was executed on this spot (February 5 1901) after being dragged here behind a horse. Having been jailed, lashed, kicked and stoned by Commandant Niewoudt’s commando, he remained steadfast to the end.
Following Nigel Amschwand’s annotated Walking Tour Map of Calvinia (available on The Heritage Portal) I take a walk around town the next morning. My first stop is the museum, an old synagogue, another relic of the region’s link to the significant number of Jews that used to reside here. While the displays need updating to bring them into the hi-tech era, they still have immense educational value and inform on subjects such as local fossils, ancient to modern anthropological and social history, and the history of sheep farming.
As I make my way to the older and better restored side of town in the west, I notice many people standing and sitting on the sidewalks, seemingly with no work to go to — the curse of many small Karoo towns these days as cities entice many potential employers away.
I find the verger of the NG “Moederkerk”, Linda du Toit, watering the church’s garden. She tells me the other more modern NG church I’d seen earlier on my walkabout has now been mothballed as so many congregants have left town over the years.
After walking the contemplative path of the succulent garden between the church and the giant post box (an old water tower, converted by the town’s chamber of commerce in 1994), I come across another long-time resident. Martha Le Roux, owner of Die Blou Nartjie restaurant and guest house, seems upbeat about the town’s future. She surprises me with the news of how the local high school is flourishing with new equipment recently donated.
Later, I look longingly at the unique Karoo Boekehuis, a place where serious writers can stay and access its substantial library. After tearing myself away, I make for the splendid old Victorian Carmel Villa and take in Joel Sher’s more humble old home next door to it.
I’ve still much to see and do before I leave tomorrow, but I decide to take a well-earned coffee break at Hantam Huis before continuing. It’s a great choice. Not only is the coffee good and the building sensitively restored, it’s a treasure trove of all things historical, too.
Travel notes:
Where it is and routes to get there: Calvinia is about 425km from Cape Town when taking the N7 and R27 (tar), or about 467km if you prefer to travel the tar and dirt route I did: Take the N1 out of Cape Town; travel to Worcester (113km) and after continuing north on the N1, turn left 76km later onto the R46 towards Ceres. At the next T-junction (33km — tar), turn right onto the R355 to Calvinia. After 68km (dirt), turn right to the Tankwa Karoo National Park and make for Roodewerf (48km — dirt). Heading west, take the right fork after 5km (dirt) and head for the start of the Ganagga Pass (+-7km). It’s about 8km (dirt) from here to the Ganagga Lodge turn-off and then 29km (dirt) to Middelpos. From here to Calvinia it’s 80km — 66km on dirt.
Distance Day 1: 467km, 231km on dirt.
An alternative route home: take the R354 to Clanwilliam off the R27 (36km — tar) and travel 119km (76km on dirt) to Clanwilliam. Make your way south through town to the Clanwilliam Dam dirt track (4km — tar) and head for the Algeria turn-off from the N7 (29km — dirt). From here to Cape Town is 202km (N7).
Distance Day 3: 390km, 105km on dirt.
What sort of vehicle will I need: At least an AWD SUV or a proper 4x4 if the roads are wet.
What to do in Calvinia and surrounds: Take a historic walk around the town; shop at the Calvinia butchery in the old town for great meat bargains; visit the Akkerendam Nature Reserve just north of the town to picnic and/or hike; drink coffee, have a snack and shop for curiosities at historical Hantam Huis; buy a delicious meat pie at the Klipwerf Padstal on the eastern edge of town; visit the informative Calvinia Museum; have succulent Karoo lamb chops at Die Blou Nartjie; take a writing sojourn at Die Karoo Boekehuis (mail Erwin or Alta Coetzee at: hantamhuis@calvinia.co.za) and take a selfie at the giant post box.
Upcoming festivals: The annual vleis fees (meat festival), featuring meat galore, performing artists and a host of other activities, takes place on August 30-31.
Best time of year to go: August to October.
Where I stayed: Klipwerf self-catering and camping. Call Elmarie on 078 800 5943.
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