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Greetings from a very hot Cape Town ,

August last year we had the pleasure of being invited by the Northern Cape Tourism Bureau to visit Sutherland on an educational. The group consisted of Tour Operators, Guides, Consultants and Marketers. None of us had ever been to Sutherland, so we were all very excited.  Needless to say the weather was cloudy and cold when we left, so were hoping that it might snow, as Sutherland normally gets snow in July August.  So all the woolly clothes were packed ready for the trip. Well, unfortunately, we had no snow but beautiful warm sunny weather……

My newsletter this month will be dedicated to this amazing trip we all enjoyed as Sutherland is one of those towns that you have on your bucket list and say, next year we will go see the snow, and that next year somehow never materializes.

Sutherland is in the heart of the Roggeveld region – named in reference to the naturally occurring wild rye grass (Secale Africanum).  Early scouts considered it to be promising for sheep farming, which is why pioneer farmers ventured over awe-inspiring terrain, across immense distances and forbidding mountain ranges to settle in the area.

After the arrival of the first white pioneer travelers and farmers in the 1700s and early 1800s, the Dutch East India Company advanced capital for the establishment of farms across vast tracts of land. These farms are today written into the region’s history with Dutch names like Uitkyk, De Guns Fonteyn, Klipfontein, De Knolle  Fonteyn (Kanolfontein), De Jakkalsfontein, De List and Cylenberg.

Despite clashes with the resident KhoiSan populations, the settlers remained and continued farming.

Sutherland was part of the Worcester district, whose religious well-being was overseen by one Dominee (Minister) Henry Sutherland.  In time, the Dutch Reformed Church bought De List farm as a church farm to serve the population of the Middle Roggeberg.  They held their inaugural church advisory meeting in 1855 as the “Middel en Kleinroggeveldsche Gemeente”  (Middle and Small Roggeveld Congregation).

Two years later in 1857, the Worcester Municipal Council instructed that the farm De List be divided into 50 properties which could be sold to private individuals to form a church town. The town was to be named after Ds Henry Sutherland.

In 1858 the cornerstone of the first church was laid and in November of the same year,  the first properties were auctioned and the hamlet of Sutherland officially became a dot on the map of the world.

Sutherland is the site of some fascinating and rare plant life. Not much rain falls in the district. When it does, the dry earth responds by erupting almost overnight into a multi-coloured carpet of wild flowers that stretches for kilometres in the nearby Hantam-Roggeveld. Plant enthusiasts can explore the Sutherland Tanqua Route, which forms part of the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Plan (SKEP), and visit the 260ha Sterboom Natural Heritage site. And remember that spring is an excellent time to visit Sutherland, with enough rain the region is painted with colourful veld flowers. Also visit Middelfontein Guestfarm for their Veldplant Route. 

                                      
The main entrance to the town is marked by a memorial to the Voortrekkers, the colonists who opened up much of South Africa’s interior, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Groot Trek. The town’s only museum, the Louw Huis or Louw House, houses artefacts belonging to the family Louw – a famous name in South African literature. The house was the birthplace of  NP Van Wyk Louw and his brother WEG Louw. The original house dates back to 1861.  Motlkie Louw purchased the house in 1904 and added the concave verandah. After what he described as an idyllic childhood in Sutherland, NP later found himself  separated from it and was moved to verse, stark with haiku-like words of longing for his beloved Karoo. This excerpt was written in Amsterdam, where he was studying at the time. 

The Louw House Museum bears witness to the cultural history of the area with farm implements, clothing and furniture donated by Sutherland’s residents and farming community.
To book a tour to the Louw House Museum in Jubilee Street contact: +27 (0)23 5711 131

Early photos of the town show that most buildings were gabled in the Cape Dutch fashion.  As the Victorians swept in, gables and thatch or clay roofs went out of fashion, to be replaced by verandas and corrugated iron roofs. The remains of stone walls and other stone buildings are dotted around town, giving Sutherland its warm, rustic character. A walking tour of the town will take you past most of the architecturally prominent buildings .

By 1872 the town had a population of 138 registered citizens living in 19 houses.  The large Dutch Reformed church in the centre of Sutherland was built in 1899

During the Anglo Boer War the church was used as a fort by garrisoned British soldiers. During the war a number of engagements between British and Boer forces occurred in the town. In one such engagement a force of 250 Boer commandos attacked the local British garrison for 10 hours. The ruins of a fort can be found on the outskirts of town on the hill called Rebelskop. This was named after this engagement.

The NG Church building in the main street is a must-see. It was designed by architect Charles Freeman. The consecration of the church took place on 25 April 1903, with an assembly of 1200 people. Graffiti scribbled on the walls by the British troops are still visible today. The church also houses a unique German organ, said to be one of two left of its kind.
To book a tour +27 23 571 1258 | +27 71 136 7468.

                                                


This was the first main route leading hunters, explorers and fortune seekers from the Cape of Good Hope to the interior and the great north. With the advent of tarred super-highways, the route was largely forgotten until 4x4 enthusiasts led the charge to explore its extensive unpaved sections and started calling it The Forgotten Highway.  Heading out of Sutherland, take the R356 or, 26km out of town, turn right along a road marked “Posroete”. This takes you along the Nuweveldberge escarpment with spectacular view over the Swartberge. Ouberg Pass 45 kilometres from Sutherland and 1 404 metres above sea level is one of the most spectacular routes across the Roggeveld mountains. It was picked out by pioneer farmers when the choice of travel was foot slog, horseback or ox wagon. Nearly 100 years later, in 1969, the first proper road was finished over the pass

                 
                

Over 25 000 years ago, the KhoiSan or Bushmen people who inhabited this region knew that time is in the stars. They had a remarkably extensive knowledge of the stars and wove this wisdom into the rhythm of their lives. The 19th-century scholar Dr

Wilhelm Bleek, who  studied their languages and analysed their legends, found evidence that the Bushmen seemingly observed the movements of the planet Jupiter and its four main moons with the naked eye. These Bushman legends date back to before Galileo made his observations with his first telescope.

Like the earliest people, we are still awed by the mystery of the stars, planets and distant galaxies. Today, the extraordinary clarity of Sutherland’s cloudless, pollution-free night skies and its high elevation above sea level makes it a prime star-gazing destination and the perfect site for the South African Astronomical Observatory.

                       
    

The observatory houses the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.  Based on the design of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in Texas, it consists of a primary, hexagonal mirror 11 metres wide made up of 91 individual hexagonal mirrors, each one metre wide and weighing about 100kg. This great eye probing the universe is sensitive enough to pick up the light of a single candle on the moon – but its main job is to scan deep space, witnessing the birth and death of planets, gazing into distant galaxies and recording the scale and age of the universe, stars, galaxies and quasars billions of light years away.

Amateur star-gazers can set up their own telescopes at the nearby visitors’ centre.
The facility is open to the public with four evening tours a week and 12 daytime tours.
•  Visitors can choose between a fully guided tour  (Mon-Fri 10:30 and 14:30; Sat 11:30 and 14:30) or a self-
     guided tour.
•  Night Tours entail the viewing of interesting objects in the sky through two dedicated  visitor telescopes.
    SALT itself, is not visited at night.
• The tours are normally at 18:00 in mid-winter and at 20:00 in mid-summer. Please note that the times of tours
   are merely an indication, confirm with the Observatory.

   Contact:  +27 23 5712 436  | suthbookings@saao.ac.za | emergencies dial +27 76 900 0308

On several game farms in the Western Cape you hear about the big five, but in Sutherland  we are honoured to present the Celestial Big Five and where else but at Sterland, just one  kilometer outside Sutherland, in the direction of Matjiesfontein. Regular Stargazing sessions are presented every night, right throughout the year and not even the coldest night keeps stargazers away.

Sterland Stargazing: Cold air provides excellent viewing of the Milky Way and Deep Sky Images.
Bookings are essential. The show at Sterland starts at 20:00 lasting two hours.
The stargazer is first treated with an indoor presentation on a three meter big screen explaining all the constellations and sizes in the universe. They will also  introduce you to some fossil samples plus the history.
A short DVD about Sutherland is shown. Inside the dam are numerous posters of Astronomy and books to be read. After that the stargazer is taken outside to the Muisbos Amphi theatre and first treated with an explanation of how to find South, with the aid of the Magellan Clouds, Southern Cross and other stars.  They make use of a very powerful laser so that each person can see what we are talking about. All the relevant constellations, stars, planets and objects to be observed are then explained before looking through the eye piece.

Stargazing - Your visit is not complete without Sutherland Planetarium in the main road. During daytime, your whole family can enjoy digital shows in a full 3D full dome space and astronomy presentation.
Find souvenirs and delicious coffee before your show. During the digital show inside the dome, you can learn all about the constellations before you see the real thing at night.

The professional guide at Sutherland Planetarium will point out the constellations with a lazer at night, while you can view the stars through the largest privately-owned  telescope in Sutherland (14 inch Celestron).

Please note: A maximum of 30 people is allowed at a time, so please book to avoid disappointment

TIMES FOR STARGAZING:   19:00 in Winter 20:00 in Summer

Stargazing lasts for about 90 minutes. We will keep you warm with blankets and warm drinks are available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BOOKINGS, WHERE TO EAT AND STAY, OR LOCAL TOURS OF THE AREA

Visit Discover Sutherland’s office at Sutherland Planetarium in the main road.  

Contact: Alta Steenkamp on 076 969 8635  (WhatsApp or Call)  info@discoversutherland.co.za

www.facebook.com/discoversutherland.co.za         www.discoversutherland.co.za .

Sutherland also has a winery, Alpacas on a farm,  4x4 tours in the mountain,  and many Guest Houses, Self-catering and of course amazing restaurants that has wonderful local cuisine.  Just remember they are far from the ocean in the Karoo so please do not expect a seafood
platter.  Their lamb chops are the best in the world. Wonderful fresh vegetables and fruit always available.

We hope many of you shall  take a drive up to Sutherland, and you really do not have to wait for the snow. A three night stay is advised if you really want to enjoy your trip and visit all the interesting places to see, and appreciate the fresh air and the local hospitality.

Till next time.

Warm Regards and God Bless,

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