Swellendam
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Swellendam is a small town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It has approximately 30 000 residents. The town is the third oldest place of European settlement in South Africa and therefore offers some fine examples of Cape Dutch architecture.
Swellendam is situated on the N2, approximately 220km from both Cape Town and George. It is an ideal and central place for meetings, conferences and holidays.
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[edit] History
Early travellers and explorers who visited the Cape in the 1500’s traded with the Khoi-khoi people who lived on these shores. When the Dutch East India Company established a replenishment station at the Cape in 1652, trade continued inland as far as Swellendam. In 1743 Swellendam was declared a magisterial district, the third oldest in South Africa, and was named after Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel and his wife, Helena Ten Damme. This outlying settlement soon became a gateway to the interior, and was visited by many famous explorers and travellers including Le Vaillant (1781), Lady Anne Barnard (1798), Burchell (1815) and Bowler (1860). In time, a village was established opposite the Drostdy, where artisans including numerous wainwrights and traders settled. To travellers and explorers, the services of the village folk were indispensable, as Swellendam was the last outpost of civilization on the eastern frontier.
By 1795 maladministration and inadequacies of the Dutch East India Company caused the long-suffering burghers of Swellendam to revolt, and in 1795 they declared themselves a Republic, but this was short-lived due to the occupation of the Cape by the British. With the arrival of British settlers in the early 1800’s the Overberg boomed, and its capital, Swellendam, was soon the heart of the famous mercantile empire of Barry and Nephews, created by Joseph Barry. By the middle of the 19th century, the eastern districts had been colonized by the British settlers and Swellendam was a thriving metropolis. The town served as a useful refreshment station on the long, slow journey up the coast. Today Swellendam is a flourishing agricultural area, and has many attractive and historic buildings which serve as a reminder of its exciting past. The first known sketch of Swellendam was of the Drostdy, by Johannes Schumacher in 1776, when he accompanied the son of Governor Swellengrebel to the town. Today the Drostdy forms part of a museum complex that consist of several heritage sites.
[edit] Climate
The region has a predominantly Mediterranean climate. There are long summer days in January and February. During February and March, summer draws to a close, with prevailing South Easter winds. April and May are Autumnal months, with milder days and occasional showers. June and July bring the Cape Winter, with mild weather, rain and possible snow on the mountain tops. August and September are the start of spring.
[edit] Fauna and Flora
Swellendam and surrounds has three nature reserves to offer, Marloth Nature Reserve, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve and Bontebok National Park. Bontebok National Park is where the rare Bontebok was protected when it was close to extinction. The population has increased from 17 individuals in 1931 to a sustainable number today. The area is a botanist’s dream with an abundance of wild flowers and fynbos. 250ha indigenous forest is the most noteworthy in the southwestern Cape. Woods like these are rare to find in the Cape this far west of the Knysna forests. Wildlife such as the endangered Bontebok and Cape Mountain Zebra abound: Bushbuck, Klipspringer, Grey Rhebuck, Cape Grysbok, Baboon, Mongoose, Genet and the occasional Leopard. As well as a species of Ghost Frog and a unique Forest Emperor Butterfly. Witsand, a coastal town about 50km from Swellendam is probably the best whale viewing spot on the South coast as it is the largest whale nursery in South Africa. Of the impressive 200 species of birds you stand a chance to spot: Waterfowl, Crowned Eagle, the Black Eagle, Narina Trogon, Paradise Flycatcher and the Knysna Woodpecker. The town is situated at the foot of the Langeberge (Long mountains), and there are many fine hiking trails, ranging from day-walks to a 5 to 7 day trail.
[edit] See also
