I’m relieved to arrive at the turn-off to Langbaken Farm. Like the “langbaken” (long beacon) of old that marked the hidden crossing of the Sak River near here — tall reeds obscured it — the turn-off signals some respite from the hellish corrugations I’ve been riding on for about 30km.
It’s also here that my Williston host encouraged me to sample some of Peter and Francy Schoeman’s unique cheeses. I find them dressed in headscarves and PVC overalls, bent over a large stainless steel urn and performing whatever arcane magic is required to turn milk into cheese.
In the tasting room they serve me slithers of their various offerings and I particularly like the more mature and pungent Karoo Crumble, it’s something between Parmesan and well-matured cheddar. I buy R200 worth of various varieties and I’m soon bouncing down the remainder of the challenging dirt track to Fraserburg, dreaming all the way of the cheese platter lunch I’ll enjoy there on arrival.
“Fraserburg was on the road to nowhere, and for that reason it missed — or escaped — various forms of excitement,” an old resident of the town explained to Lawrence Green in the early 1950s, when he was hunting for material for his book, Karoo.
But he goes on to explain that while it may be well off-the-beaten-track to more-sought after destinations and through-points, it was here that the push for Afrikaans to be adopted as an official written language gained traction. Ironically, it occurred after an English lawyer in the town translated some farmers’ letters into Afrikaans, which then made it into Volksblad. These efforts by H W A Cooper in 1870 (he used the pen name, Samuel Zwaartman) were apparently bolstered by a pamphlet he published called “Kaapse Schetsen”.
Today, Fraserburg is arguably still on a road to nowhere of great strategic importance, except for Karoo aficionados, stargazers and fossil hunters like myself; and, of course, those farming folk who rely on it as a supply and service hub.
“There has been talk for years about a wind farm boom that’s coming,” says Pauline Nel, my host at Die Blou Windpomp, “but it’s not happened yet.”
Secretly, I think many of the retirees and city escapees (“die inkommers” — migrants) prefer it this way as the town remains a quiet enclave. Yet, like most platteland dorpies these days, the high levels of unemployment allow drug dealers to prey on the despondency of the workless. No amount of wind farms, however, is likely to alter this, only social workers and migration to bigger towns and cities will help; and only if backed by practical economic and industrial plans from the government.
Like other “inkommers” did before they settled here, one of the reasons I’m in town today is to follow up on some promising-looking properties I’ve seen for sale on the internet. Having stayed in Aberdeen near Graaff-Reinet in my dim and distant past, I know a thing or two about living in a small Karoo town. Yes, it is relatively much safer, but it can be hellishly hot in summer and bone-chillingly cold in winter (Fraserburg sometimes gets down to -10ºC) and unlike a big city, you encounter all echelons of society as you go about your daily business; and everybody knows your business, too.
But the pull of buying a relatively cheap and characterful old Karoo house (my budget is R700,000) with some fruit trees out back, putting some money in the bank and giving yourself pause to pursue all those one-day dreams, is not only appealing, it’s priceless.
With this in mind, I set out on a walk about town with a difference. Besides noting the many historical buildings and other points of interest I always do, I look at the town with a critical eye as to the facilities it offers, such as grocery stores, hardware suppliers, cafés and restaurants, as well as inquiring about doctors and trying to get a feel for the people who inhabit this Karoo outpost.
On my way to the Ou Pastorie Museum (old parsonage) I pass the town’s enigmatic and famous Pepperbus (Pepper pot) building. Some commentators have intimated it was the first resident minister’s (Rev Carl Bamberger’s) folly and a waste of money, especially when there were more pressing town infrastructure issues that needed addressing in 1861, like dam and street repairs.
As it happened, Bamberger’s plans for the Pepperbus to act as fresh produce market, whose opening times were signalled by the bell in the purpose-designed tower, didn’t last long. It then served a variety of functions over the years, from the private office of the local magistrate, to being a library, then a church office, and has even served as a venue for municipal ballot casting.
Bamberger was, it seems, a divisive figure from the start. He was said to be a very learned yet haughty man, someone who initiated good record-keeping via meticulous registers, but who delivered sermons that often didn’t resonate with the simple beliefs and needs of the pioneer farmer folk he was addressing. While liked by some, he was criticised by others, including a group of the congregation who claimed he was unloving because he didn’t visit the sick in their homes.
Museum curator Irene de Vries shows me the curved walls Bamberger demanded for certain rooms in his parsonage. One of them was his study and he apparently refused to have a door between it and the adjoining bedroom as he thought it best to keep his ill-tempered wife at bay.
However Bamberger’s almost three-decade tenure is remembered, he did preside over the building of the town’s second church, a much larger and beautifully designed edifice that served the congregation well from 1868 until it was demolished in the latter half of 1955. It was unfortunately replaced with the practical, but rather cold-looking face brick construction that still stands today.
Besides the artefacts of yesteryear, from kitchen to farmyard utensils and everything in between, the museum display that intrigues me most is that of the fossils. Though it’s not comparable to the Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre in Nieu-Bethesda, this display should be regarded as only an appetiser for the trip to the Gansfontein Paleosurface, about 7km out of town. On a previous visit I was bowled over by the number of pareiasaurs’ (bulky herbivorous reptiles such as bradysaurus) and mammal-like reptiles’ (therapsids — the ancestors of mammals and dinosaurs) footprints I saw there.
My walk around town before my property viewings reflects small pockets of perfection juxtaposed with sections of the town that are crumbling — in places a sensitively renovated Victorian is brought down by one that’s collapsing next door to it. It seems to me that the western and southern portions of town are the places to be, and that historical Rossouw Street, with concerted effort, heritage guidance and investment could one day echo the appeal and success of Market Street in Cradock.
Later, I meet Renata Wahl, an import from Stellenbosch who owns the oldest cottage in town (late 1830s). It was apparently the residence for the people who built Albertus Visser’s Rietfontein farmhouse in the early 1840s; and it was this nearby farmhouse (still standing today) he kept when he sold the balance of the farm to the first town planning council in May 1851 for about £1,870.
I unfortunately strike out with all my viewings. Two houses with great potential are on the more decrepit side of town; another offers an amazing lifestyle proposition, yet needs too much work and the last one is perfect, just beyond my pocket. But the dream is still alive.
Travel Notes
Getting there: Fraserburg is situated in the Bo-Karoo; almost equidistant between Sutherland and Loxton. It can be reached on good tar roads from Cape Town (450km) and Beaufort West (155km). From Williston, I chose the rustic dirt track that passes Langbaken Farm, for which you will need a high-clearance SUV, preferably AWD.
What activities are on offer here: Fraserburg is a pretty well-preserved Victorian town and moves are afoot by the recently formed Heritage, Culture and Tourism Foundation to improve its aesthetic appeal even further. A walk around this 173-year-old town, taking in the Victorian architecture, Karoo “huise”, the Pepperbus, the old parsonage (which houses the museum) and getting a feeling for life in a small town Karoo, is recommended.
For those who’d prefer a guided historic tour through the town and museum, local heritage champion, Herman de Vries offers a two-hour tour at R100 per person — contact him on 082 827 9723. In addition: a tour to the Gansfontein Paleosurface (R150 per person for 1.5 hours) to see the fossil prints is recommended (7km out of town, contact Marinda Oberholzer on 072 386 0102); have coffee, cake or a light meal at Die Pers Malva; see the corbelled house in the town’s gardens and, for dirt track enthusiasts, take a circular day drive down the Ou Kloof Pass, past Rooiheuwel Farm and make for Merweville, then Sutherland via the Rooiberg Pass before heading back to town (about 300km — allow six hours with picnic/coffee/photo stops).
Where I stayed: Die Blou Windpomp (R600 per night for two people sharing), a bright and cheery old Karoo house with lots of character — contact Pauline Nel on 071 648 5309.
Suggested reading: The Great Karoo by Leon Nell; Fossil Reptiles of the South African Karoo by MA Cluver and Karoo by Lawrence Green.
Best time of year to go: April to October.
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