house
Thatched house on corner erf with spacious rooms. Three bedrooms, sitting / dining room with fireplace, TV room, kitchen with ample cupboards, 3 garages & a 2-bedroom apartment.
Has potential for guesthouse....
Life in this picturesque town seems to be going slower than elsewhere, giving you time for the more worthwhile things in life. The inhabitants greet you warmly whenever you pass on the street. Here you are welcomed like the prodigal son, and treated like a local
from the outset. The friends you quickly make in this town will go out of their way to accommodate you with almost any request you may have. In this town where it is non-existent you easily forget about traffic jams,
shootings, muggings and other perils of modern life. The lasting first impression is one of calm sophistication.
Calvinia, at the foot of the Hantam mountain range, was the Northern border of the Cape of Good Hope, during the Dutch, Batavian and British occupation.
The majestic Hantam mountain, a mesa, is the watershed between summer and winter rainfall. At the founding of the town at the foot of this landmark, it was named Hantam after the mountain.
Calvinia is situated 31°30'S and 19°44'E, 970 m above sea level. The average summer temperature in Calvinia is 22°C, but frequently soars above 40°C. During winter
the average temperature is 10°C, but it may plummet to -8°C, with an average night temperature of -2°C, with severe frost. Snow frequently falls on the Hantam mountain range during the winter, and is our main
source of primary drinking water.
Calvinia nestles at the foot of the statuesque Hantam Mountains. These mountains are significant because of
the fact that it is the border between no less than six climatic regions, i.e. Ceres-Karoo semi desert to the south, Bokveld with fynbos, proteas and bulbous plant kingdom to the west, Namaqualand to the north-west
with its springflower splendour, Bushmanland to the north-east, the Great Karoo to the east, and the Roggeveld with the lowest winter temperature to the south.
Although Calvinia is not your average throbbing metropolis, it is still on the cutting edge of development, with its own chain stores, Internet connectivity through
our own local service provider, courier services and many other modern amenities. Calvinia is the Hantam Karoo's main town, and is the commercial, industrial and
administrative capital. The town abounds with historical buildings, and in flower season this is a great base for exploring natures finest cloak. This is also the home of
the Annual Meat Festival, which is as far as journalist Caroline Anderson is concerned 'carnivore heaven'. The town also boasts a tarred airstrip, 1250 meters long and 15 meters wide - big enough to handle up to medium-sized aircraft.
(Material - Ernst Coetzee / www.calvinia.co.za)
(c) Things To Do :
Apart from specialised interests that include unique birds, reptiles, wildlife (riverine rabbits, etc.), the spectacular spring flower miracle is the main natural tourist attraction, and what an attraction it is! Imagine seeing 250 flowers per square meter, over hundreds of hectares ... a sight beyond description.
Displays usually reach their peak towards the middle of August and show to a close at the end of September. Depending on the rainfall the flowers may bloom earlier, from mid-July.
Calvinia Museum :
Here you can see life portrayed in the Hantam during the early years. This exhibit is accommodated in the old synagogue.
Farming activities are depicted by a bucket pump, flour mill, cobbling and blacksmith workshops as well as soap and candle-making utensils. Clothing, including the black wedding dress, and the four legged ostrich as well as the Lombard Qudroplite memorabilia are but a few of the
interesting exhibits. The development of sheep and wool farming in our country is fully displayed at a separate venue.
Akkerendam Nature Reserve & Hiking Trail :
Dominated by the majestic Hantam Mountain, the Akkerendam Nature Reserve and Hiking Trail is situated north of the town, Calvinia.
Hiking into the Hantam is an excellent way of exploring unspoilt nature. The reserve is also a proclaimed bird sanctuary. The Kareedam provides an oasis for many migrating birds. Within 2 days keen birdwatchers can expect to see 65 different species, including the Cinnamonbreasted Warbler. For the brave who reach the summit of the mountain a sight awaits that literally "lets you see forever on a clear day".
The Akkerdam Nature reserve consist mostly of the Hantam Mountain. You can explore the rustic area by one of the various hiking trails that the area offers. The Kareeboom route was designed with senior citizens in
mind. The 2km hiking trail takes you along the Hantam Mountain and takes about a hour to complete. The Sterboom route takes you along the easterly side of the Hantam Mountain and up to the Plato. This route takes approximately 6 to 7 hours to complete. For the avid bird watchers the Kareedam serves as an oases for the migrating birds.
Karoo Boekehuis :
Calvinina boasts a unique Boekehuis (Writer's House) which accommodates acknowledged authors wanting to write undisturbed. An extensive reference library of works on and by Karoo authors, is available for the resident author's exclusive use.
Some of the greatest Afrikaans writers ie. N.P. van Wyk Louw, W.E.G. Louw, Anna M. Louw, Elize Muller, Boerneef, Rona Rupert, Charles Fryer, A.A.J. van Niekerk all hail from within a radius of 100 miles from Calvinia.