Page 217 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

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For visitors, the main attrac tion also produced in the region. The
is Bird Island, about 100 m Swartland Wine and Olive Route
(328 ft) offshore. It is accessible includes 20 estates and coops
via a break water-cum-harbour that are open for tastings and
wall. The island is a breeding sales around the Riebeek Valley,
ground for thousands of African Malmesbury, Piketberg and
penguins, Cape cor morants and Porterville.
the striking Cape gannet with
its yellow-painted face. There is O Swartland Wine and
a small museum, and a viewing Olive Route
tower allows visitors to remain Cnr Church and Voortrekker sts.
unobtrusive while observing the Tel 022 487 1133. Open Mon–Sat. &
∑ swartlandwineandolives.co.za.
birds’ behaviour.

O Bird Island 6 Tulbagh
Tel 071 657 5651. Open Apr–Sep:
7:30am–6pm daily; Oct–Mar: 7am– Road map B5. R44. * 9,000. n 4
7pm daily. & ∑ capenature.co.za A National Monument on historic Church Church St, 023 230 1375. Open daily.
∑ tulbaghtourism.co.za
Street in Tulbagh
4 Darling In 1700, Governor Willem
F Evita se Perron Adriaan van der Stel initi ated a
Road map B5. R307. * 10,450. 8 Arcadia St. Tel 022 492 2831. 0 7 new settlement in the Breede
n Pastorie St, 022 492 3361. ∑ evita.co.za River Valley, naming it Tulbagh,
_ Wildflower Show (Sep), Rocking the after his predecessor.
Daisies (Oct). ∑ darlingtourism.co.za Encircled by the Witzenberg
5 Malmesbury and Winterhoek mountains, in
Darling is surrounded by a 1969 the town was hit by an
farming region of wheat fields, Road map B5. N7. * 35,900. earth quake measuring 6.3 on
vineyards, sheep and dairy £ Boko mo Rd. n 1 Church St, the Richter scale. Eight people
cattle, but is best-known for its 022 487 1133. Open Mon–Fri. died and many historic build-
spring flower show (see p40). ∑ malmesburytourism.co.za ings were badly damaged. The
Darling also lays claim to disaster resulted in a five-year
satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys (see p172), Malmesbury, the heart of South restoration project undertaken
who has gained fame for the Africa’s wheatland, lies in the along Church Street, lined with
por trayal of his female alter ego, Swartland (black country), a term no less than 32 18th- and
Evita Bezuidenhout, fictitious that has, at times, been 19th-century Victorian and
ambassadress of the equally attributed to the region’s soil, Cape Dutch homes. The oldest
fictitious homeland called and at other times to its build ing, Oude Kerk (old church)
Baphetikosweti. His bar, Evita renosterbush, a local shrub that Volksmuseum, dates back to
se Perron (Evita’s platform), is turns a dark hue in winter. The 1743 and contains the original
situated on a defunct railway wheatfields, with their velvety pulpit, pews and Bible. De Oude
platform and attracts crowds to shoots rippling in the breeze, or Herberg, Tulbagh’s first boarding
hear hilarious, razor-sharp cropped furrows with bales piled house (1885), is now a guest-
analyses of local politics. high, are a lovely sight. Wine is house and restaurant (see p386).

Cape gannets populate Bird Island in their thousands

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