Graaff-Reinet

Graaff-Reinet is a town of 36,000 people (2011) in the Karoo Heartland. A touch of history wafts around the old houses, the small church and the busy main street of Graaff-Reinet. As one of the oldest cities in South Africa, it is littered with listed buildings from the Wilhelminian era, and has its own flair. The nearby Valley of Desolation attracts thousands of visitors annually with its desert atmosphere.

Understand
Graaff-Reinet was established in 1786 and is the 4th oldest town in South Africa and the oldest town in the Eastern Cape Province. It was established to bring law & order, religion and education to the many Dutch farmers on the Eastern Frontier. It was named after the then Dutch East Indian Company Governor of the Cape, Cornelius Jacob van der Graaff, and his wife Cornelia, whose maiden name was Reinet. The town is renowned for its architectural heritage and at 220 sites, has more national monuments than any other town in South Africa. It was once one of the largest centres in the Cape Colony, as it was on the direct route to the minefields of the interior. Today it still functions as an important farming centre with the raising of Merino sheep, Angora goats, ostriches and game being the main activities in this area of the eastern Great Karoo. It is also well known for the nearby Valley of Desolation, which today forms part of the Camdeboo National Park of about 15,000 ha.

Get in

 * From Bloemfontein, take the N9 at Colesberg through Middelburg. You may want to visit Nieu-Bethesda which is 25 km off the N9 on the way.
 * From Port Elizabeth take the R75 for 260 km past Kariega/Uitenhage, Wolvefontein and Jansenville
 * From George take the N9 for 340 km past Uniondale, Willowmore and Aberdeen
 * From Beaufort West take the R61 to Aberdeen and turn left onto the N9. Distance 210 km.

Get around
Graaff is small enough to get around the centre on foot. You can arrange tours to the Valley of Desolation using one of the agencies near the church.

See
The old town centre architecture is well-preserved and you can actually feel the Karoo Heartland-atmosphere there.



Do

 * Walk around to explore the town centre. Go into one of the restaurants to get a feeling for the old furniture and the way the people must have lived once upon a time.
 * Reinet House Museum - the most visited museum in the East Cape
 * Hester Rupert Art museum - contemporary South African Art
 * Pierneef Art Museum
 * The Old Residensie Museum - firearm and war museum
 * Urquart House Museum.

Buy
Most shops are in Church and Caledon Streets around the Dutch Reformed Church which is in the centre of town. On the corner of Parsonage and Church Streets are two little shops called Out of Africa and African Adventure which are both jam-packed with all kinds of curios. McNaughton's Bookshop near to Absa Bank in Church Street has a wide selection of tourist maps, guide books and general information about the area. They also carry a large range of new books with some Africana.

Eat

 * The Coldstream Restaurant on the eastern side of the church in the centre of the town
 * The Coral Tree in Somerset Street one block west of Church Street.
 * The Wimpy near to Spar in Caledon Street serves a great breakfast.
 * The Wimpy near to Spar in Caledon Street serves a great breakfast.

Drink

 * Get someone to sign you in at the Graaff-Reinet Club next to the Coldstream Restaurant. It is the oldest watering hole in the town and filled with all kinds of interesting collections like historical weapons, caricatures of previous members and even has bullet holes in the bar counter dating from the Anglo-Boer War. Ask for Terrance Gush (usually behind the bar) to tell you all about it.
 * Agave Silver or Gold - produced in the district in the only distillery outside Mexico to produce alcohol from the agave plant
 * Withond (White Dog) - a local variation of Witblits (White Lightning) or Moonshine produced by special license on the premises of Reinet House Museum
 * Karoo Cabernet - (Brandy & Coke) the closest thing locals know to red wine

Sleep




Go next

 * The Camdeboo National Park and Valley of Desolation, 14km outside town offers hiking, wildlife (a wide variety of Antelope, Mountain Zebra, Buffalo) and great birdwatching near the dam.
 * Visit Karoo Connections at 7 Church Street for a range of 1/2- and full-day tour options including an interesting Township Tour, a Historical Town Tour and the Valley of Desolation Tour which is a must.Their contact telephone number is
 * Go paragliding or microlight aircraft flying.
 * Visit the Mountain Zebra National Park that is not too far away.
 * Visit Nieu-Bethesda (53 km from Graaff-Reinet) with the Owl House, Fossil Interpretation Centre, Craft and coffee shops, art centres, Ganora excursions.
 * The Agave Distillery
 * A historic Karoo Farm
 * Kalkop Meteorite Crater