Klaarstroom

Klaarstroom

a hamlet in the Prince Albert municipal district

things to see and do accommodation history

Photo: Derek Thomas, Prince Albert

Klaarstroom at the entrance to scenic Meiringspoort, has remained virtually unchanged since the days of Queen Victoria. The hamlet was the home of South Africa’s last operator of a transport wagon and on Vrolikheid, a farm in the district, you can see a licenced witblitz still, which has been declared a National Monument.

What to see and do in Klaarstroom

	The Anglo-Boer War graves of Corporal Boyd and Trooper Hirschford in the Anglican graveyard at The Church of the Good Shepherd.
	The delightful Victorian architecture, have a good look at the police station (1880)
	Stop for tea at the the Klaarstroom Tea Room and Koffie Kombuis - if the sign is up outside the guest house in the morning or afternoon, feel free to drop in for ... tea and cake, coffee and rusks, a milkshake, breakfast or any combination of the above that tickles your fancy! Tel: 023 5411 474 or 082 4888 370
	A short drive along the road to Willowmore will bring you to Vrolikheid, a farm where witblitz is distilled.
	Take a drive through Meiringspoort - the first road to link the Central Karoo and the coast. Built between 1856 and 1858 it was regularly closed due to flash floods and after the spectacular floods of 1998 the road was reconstructed at a cost of R70 million. Stop at the info centre at the waterfall and discover the stories associated with each of the drifts across the river, all of which bear fascinating names, such as ontploffingsdrif - the explosion drift, spookdrif - ghost drift, pereboomdrif - pear tree drift, and many more. Take a walk along the path into the kranz which was constructed in the 1920's so that the Prince of Wales, later the Duke of Windsor, could walk up to see the bottomless pool where the mermaid dwells. At each of the rest sites through the poort information boards give you insight into the animals, plants and birds to be found in Meiringspoort. Photo: Reinwald Dedekind, Prince Albert

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Accommodation in or near Klaarstroom

Klaarstroom Guest House R300 per person per night sharing, bed and breakfast, ( single: R370)

Tel: 023 5411 474 or 082 4888 370

e-mail: klaarstroom@telkomsa.net

Your hosts: Jeremy and Sharon Witts-Hewinson

Please note, this Guest House is 58km from Prince Albert, on the way to Meiringspoort and Oudtshoorn

Come away to somewhere really special. This gracious Victorian homestead is situated in the quaint farming village of Klaarstroom, 58km from Prince Albert on the N12, only 2km from the Northern entrance to Meiringspoort . We offer 5 tastefully decorated, well-furbished double/twin rooms, all en-suite with ceiling fans and heating. Guests can enjoy the tranquillity of a large Karoo garden with swimming pool and the spacious homestead as well as the charm of this tiny Karoo village. Enjoy a traditional breakfast. Evening meals are available on request, supper comprises a main course, dessert and tea/coffee at R95 per person. Be spoilt by old-fashioned hospitality.

For more information and photographs visit www.klaarstroom.co.za

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Klaarstroom's history

Helena Marincowitz, an amateur historian in Prince Albert, wrote a fascinating booklet in Afrikaans about the history of Klaarstroom. Klaarstroom en Omgewing is available from the Fransie Pienaar Museum in Prince Albert, Tel: 023 5411 172.

The first wool washery in South Africa was opened here in 1874 by a Canadian, PJ Allport. It was designed and constructed by George Wallis, the architect who designed the Moederkerk in Oudtshoorn and built the Anglican churches in Willowmore, Oudtshoorn, Klaarstroom and Prince Albert.
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