Loeriesfontein

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Geography and History

Loeriesfontein is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Loeriesfontein falls within the Hantam region of the Karoo. Loeriesfontein is surrounded by mountains, and it is accessed from the N7 highway, turning off on the R27 at Van Rhynsdorp to Nieuwoudtville, follow the R357 to Loeriesfontein (a further 65km north).

Activities

The town of Loeriesfontein forms part of the Namaqualand area which is well known for its floral displays in Spring time, and also for its great variety of almost 4000 different plants species. Most of these plants can be found in the vicinity of Loeriesfontein. During the Spring, if there has been good rains, the town explodes into a kaleidescope of spring flowers that can be seen far and wide! The flower season sometimes lasts until October depending on when the rains came.

Fred Turner Museum - In a museum with a difference the culture and historical way of life of the Trek Farmers of Bushmanland/Hantam/Namaqualand is exhibited. More than 1 000 articles, 'n trek wagon, equipped tent, kook skerm and a horse mill can be seen.

The Windmill Museum - Since its establishment, the museum team and interested persons all over South Africa have sponsored and collected 27 windmill, now assembled and on display at the museum. This is a very unique museum - there are only two in the world, the other being in the U.S.A.!

Rheboksfontein - On the farm Rheboksfontein, 25km from town, is a farm museum as well as a "perdemeul" (horse-mill) which is still in working order.

Quiver Tree Forest - One of the world's largest kokerbome (Aloe dichotoma) forests, they grow to 4m, store water in their trunks, resist drought indefinitely. Known as Choje to the indigenous San people, the Quiver tree gets its name from the San practice of hollowing out the tubular branches to form quivers for their arrows. Today these rare and beautiful trees have become something you see in pictures of faraway places. They need a special arid habitat and a special soil to grow

Photos courtesy of "Karoo Images Photo Library"Karoo Images photo Library is owner run by Steve Moseley and Brent Naude-Moseley, and is based in Loxton, a tiny village in the heart of the Great Karoo. Steve and Brent have been exploring and photographing the arid regions of South Africa for the past twelve years. Their library specialises in images of the Great Karoo, Little Karoo, Kalahari, Namaqualand, and Richtersveld, and also covers the Overberg and Garden Route regions. Samples of the images available can be viewed at www.karooimages.co.za.