So sad to see all the stations that are non operational any more. Wish that some of them could be restored and made into monuments. Love watching your episodes we are slowly catching up now 😊
Good morning, Steynsburg is where my roots are. That skills colledge was the Paul Kruger high School and the hostel which I stayed at when I was in primary school and that traffic department building was a teacher's training college many years ago. It used to be a vibrant town in the sixties and seventies and early eighties it slowly started to quieten down.
Thank you for the info on your old hometown! Those three buildings you mention are still very pretty and well-maintained, which was good to see. 👌🏻 I can definitely believe that it used to be a vibey place in the past, just the fact that it seemed to have a fantastic caravan park at one point, tells me families loved visiting the town and even spent extended holidays there. 🏕️ We appreciate you watching!
And a number of our ancestors are buried in the cemetery in Steynsburg. My mom started her school career in Steynsburg. Grandparents farmed Marsden Heights and Springvale in the area before moving to Hofmeyr (Teviot) district, farming Fonteintjie and Melrose (Aandenk).
@@robinboyes8749 what was ur mothers name and maiden surname i was born in steynsburg 1953 francois du plessis my grandfather had a very big general dealer accross from the old post offices
Love watching you travel around the heart of our beautiful country. Having lived in Steynsburg for many years your film really makes me homesick. Thanks for posting
Attended the primary school in 1966! Then Paul Kruger High school in 1967! We had Voortrekker dances in the city hall on Friday evenings! The Boere rocked the platteland! In period when Gariep dam/ etc was built! Good memories. Lived in Hoogstraat..slept on Pres Paul Kruger farm in the open air!! Best regards to fellow Steynsburg inhabitants!!
This was amazing to me. I was just looking to learn more about Steynsburg because my Ouma's marriage certificate in early 1900s indicated that she was living there before she was married. It was good to see the old buildings that would have been there at the time, especially the railway station because she married a railways man, our grandfather and we don't know the history of how they met.
They may not all be thriving, but we still love visiting and exploring these smaller towns. They form such an integral part of the history of this beautiful country. Thank you for travelling along! 🚗🇿🇦
Hey Dustbugs I love your videos, we watch them as often as they come up and especially nice to watch while we have breakfast. May I suggest a trip to Kareedouw (beautiful church there) and maybe Eersterivier in the Eastern Cape. You will love it. Another good trip with lots of new and old interesting things to experience is Patensie. Safe travels and happy stays, Bev Turner
Thank you for those suggestions, I've made a note and will certainly look at including them in future trips. 👌🚗 It's cool to know you watch our videos during breakfast, the best part of the day! 🍳🥓
Thank you for this video. I was born there and my grandfather owned the Algemene Handels Winkel in the main street. I have many happy memories of visitng family there. I have been in the USA for 45 years and would never have had an opportunity to see the town agian!
Thats an awesome church. The brickwork is art! So beautiful! All those old buildings are beautiful and well worth looking at. Pity some are so neglected. Glad to see your channel becoming more popular.
The churches and buildings were spectacular and well worth stopping at to have a look. Even that little one with the bushes growing out of it, had a sad charm about it. 😥⛪ We appreciate you exploring Steynsburg with us! 😁🚗
The first church is the Reformed Church. It was reclad with brickwork, if I am not mistaken, in the early ‘50’s. My father grew up in the town ( born 1916). The church still has a magnificent organ in it. Pity there is no one playing it.
My friends have a rather clever pot belly pig whose living quarters are spotlessly clean, he eats most things, though he has developed a discerning palate of late...similar to the townhall he too has no timepiece,however he arrives on time in the morning and the afternoon for his meals. One wonders what he would be thinking if he saw the station scene with humans seemingly happily sitting around in muck. Steynsburg contrasts abound here too. Kudos to the infrastructure upgrade and associated job creation 👏
The litter at the station was at another level, I'm afraid. 😏🗑️ There appears to be no maintenance or cleaning happening in town, other than the upgrading of the kerbs. Sad to see. 😥
Yes like your wife said..."Once upon a time people tried"...it is so sad to see the decay of these once beautiful towns. Good to see though that they had some good rain.
Yes, that little museum building really got to her. 😏 It was a good, yet sad, experience to visit Steynsburg and we felt a little empty when we left for our next destination. It was good to see them working on the kerbs though and we hope that somehow a turnaround can be accomplished in town. They clearly had had a lot of rain in the area in the preceding days and some roads in town were a little sludgy, but luckily still passable. We were happy to see so much gravel in town limits. 😁🚗
Thank you, we're glad you're enjoying travelling along! 😁🚗 We wish there were fewer abandoned and derelict places, but that's the sad reality in some of the places we visit. 😏
@@DustBugsTravel my wife and I and our two kids travelled alot when they were too young for school. My job used to be training leathercrafters and entailed travelling alot, from Steinkop(NC) to Coffee bay(EC) and alot of places in between. Plus 3 trips to Kruger park and alot of Baviaaning and Tsitsikama(Natures Valley). My point, we dont travel anymore due to various reasons. So, its so nice to sit and watch your travels, join in on the fun you have and escape for awhile. Best of all it costs me nothing, so thankyou both 🤗
A memory a minute... I grew up there many years ago. I remember every nook and cranny. Used to go to the station cafe on sundays for a cooldrink and to watch the trains go by. Was good to see it all again but also sad to see the decline of what was once a thriving little town.
That Sunday memory sounds super special! 🤩 We can just imagine you sitting in that station building with people and trains coming and going. We just knew that station building had some special stories to tell, thank you for sharing them with us. 😊
@@elizabethterblanche5311 i was born in steynsburg 1953 went to school know the train station well used to catch a lift on the train and jump off at the water tower
I'm glad you're enjoying our videos, thank you! 🚗😊 It was rather sad to see so much decay and destruction of buildings which obviously were very beautiful back in the day. 😢
That's a long time ago! Thank you for sharing that memory. 👌🏻The town must look quite different today, but hopefully some landmarks from your childhood remain. 😊🏤
Good Morning. Well well well Paul Kruger used to live on a farm just outside of here. That is wonderful history. So grateful for your uplifting videos. Steynsburg looks fairly busy too. Can hear the birds singing and talking too. So enjoyable thank you.
Thank you so much! I also find it amazing that no matter where we go and which town we decide to visit and explore, there is always history so unique to a particular place. And Steynsburg was no different! 😊🇿🇦 You're right, the town was rather busy on the random Wednesday we visited, but the roadworks made it just that little bit more chaotic. 😁 How cool that you would notice the birdsong in a video like this, I love that! 😍🦜
@@DustBugsTravel You are always so interesting and see such riches that some people would not see. You know, I always hear the birds whenever you go and their calling and talking. Must be the warmth of your energies smiling through to them. Have actually started to look at houses for sale in the places you visit. Somehow that brings even greater appreciation of the place and souls living there. HAPPY DAYS ALWAYS.
@@robinboyes8749 My word how wonderful. Great respect to her and his memory. Hope that you are both well and steady in these changing times. Thank you for writing. Warm regards John
Many trains with steam traction passed that station in the good old days. I wish i could see the staion building fully functional years ago but ja only memories now. Thanks for the great videos now i can explore my own country from my chair in front of the computer. Baie dankie!
Welcome, thank you for joining us on our travels! 🚗😁 We were quite saddened by the state of the station building, it was clearly a beautiful one in its prime. 😥🚂
Remember that station so well, used to work there as a clerk during the sixties. Steynsburg had quite a formidable rugby team during 1968, the station foreman played for NEC.
Welcome! 😁 It's fantastic that you've decided to join us too! We hope that you'll enjoy exploring the smaller towns and roads less travelled with us. 🚗🤩
My sister owned the white house next to the station which she sold last year after about 5 years of living there. Wonderful memories of the times we visited there over the 5 years she lived there. Beautiful town but not much to do.
It sounds like she was very happy there, that's so good to hear! 🤩 It was our first visit to the town and we're glad we decided to explore a little. 🚗😁 Thank you so much for watching!
@@DustBugsTravel She was very happy there and is very sorry she decided to pack up and move back to East London. But, as they say, what's done is done. On a lighter note, I remember sitting on the veranda and the goats would just come up to us!🤗🤗🤗
How sad yet another almost deserted place and some place falling apart. At least they have a skills centre to train much needed ones and loved the neat traffic department. Interesting the two monuments of voortrekkers.
We were very impressed by those three buildings on the outskirts of town, it was really encouraging to see. 🤩🛠️ The town was quite busy on the day we.were there, but is clearly in need of some upliftment. We hope the community works together to make that happen. 😍
So sad these little towns have become so derelict.. such beautiful old buildings .. my husband and I used to travel all the roads less traveled to all these little towns in our combi .. sad to see how they have become more degraded then they were when we were still traveling.. if you in the Eastern Cape you must visit Bathurst 1820s British settler's town, on the road between Grahamstown and Port Alfred. It's more of a village then a town it's so tiny, but very beautiful, sadly some idiot has been chopping down all the huge old trees.. but it's still very quaint .. two original old churches the Anglican St John's and the Methodist, two completely different styles. Happy travels Dustbugs.. love watching your videos, as I've been to most places you visiting, so nostalgic..really miss traveling round SA and beyond. 🎉✨💖
Thank you so much, we appreciate you watching as we follow in your footsteps. 🤩🚗 Most of the towns we visit and explore now, neither of us have been to before. While the decay is very evident in some of them and very sad to witness, we still enjoy visiting them and imagining what they must've been like in their heyday. 😊 We've made a note of Bathurst and will certainly look at including it in a future trip to the Eastern Cape, we love quaint and tiny. And the architecture of churches. 😁⛪ Although you may not travel frequently anymore, you're always welcome to join us wherever we may go!
@@DustBugsTravel Awesome thank you.. after you popped up in my feed Iv been binge watching all your episode's, makes me feel like I'm back on the road, it's been amazing.. Thank you both, really am enjoying exploring with you .. some places have grown and others decaying, so interesting to see and catch up with what's going on in our country. Happy safe travels.. I can honestly say they were the best years of my life so far. Njoy 🥰
Very interesting video it's a shame to see empty houses but the new colleague looks great I hope the students are taken to see the great brick work on the old buildings whoever did it was a real trades man as always enjoyed the video
What a great point! 👌 The students can see perfect examples literally just down the road, the legacy of the skilled craftsmen who came before them. Hopefully that instills some pride in them and they aim to attain similar standards when they leave to practice their craft. 🤩🕍
That sounds like an interesting route. 👌 The Gariep Dam is in the near future for us, but we've done the rest of your route, just in reverse, it seems. 😁🚗 Oh, and we're always coming from the Western Cape side.
@@DustBugsTravel maybe one day we will have the chance to do a small town drive holiday on the back roads .. Love seeing the small towns .. I was born in Cradock.
I'm not entirely sure that is always the case. Our very own hometown of Strand is an excellent example that church clocks actually very often don't work, even in well-run towns. The lady in the Dutch Reformed Church office in De Doorns explained that loadshedding caused a lot of clocks to not be wound up anymore and eventually they just gave up on even trying. Check out Episode 488 if you're interested. 🚙⛪
This must have been such a beautiful town in its heyday. How sad to see it such a state of disrepair. I think when the oldies pass on, the next generations don’t want to bother with the upkeep. And so everything falls into a state of neglect.
I must admit, it was rather sad to see. 😢 We tried to focus on the stately old churches and a few buildings which seemed to have escaped the decay. At least there were a few of those left. 🤩🏰
I hear you and can only imagine how you must feel about seeing your birthplace in mostly a sad state. 😥 It certainly looks like a town with a rich history. We enjoyed seeing all the beautiful buildings and churches. 🤩⛪
What worries me when I see this worn-down state of the town is where do the people access medical help if needed in a hurry?What facilities are there ,clinics etc for ante natal care etc . This is my concern in the dwindling platteland communities across SA.
I have that exact same thought wherever we travel. There are many towns with seemingly extensive and well-equipped clinics, ambulances and such that I'm sure would be able to treat and transport patients in an emergency situation. There is a clinic in this particular town as well. But then there are others we've visited where we haven't seen any such indication and where I would imagine patients would have to travel some distance in order to get the help they need. Not an ideal situation in an emergency. We do see ambulances on the road networks between towns on the odd occasions, but I think they too are most probably in short supply. Lack of access to proper and urgent medical care would be a reason a lot of people won't be able to live in smaller towns., which is a sad situation. 🚑🏥
The problem with towns like these is due to the reliance of the trains. As there is no infrastructure or trains for that matter people cannot come into work. Happening in the big cities as well now. The decline of the railway in South Africa is astounding.
And very sad to see. 🥺 We hear from so many of the folks in most of these small towns that the demise of the railway system is what caused the towns to become struggling places where they were thriving at one time, mainly because of the railway. 🚉
Another interesting and insightful trip. I may be wrong (probably am), but doesn't the brickwork on some of the larger buildings (eg churches) look much alike? Maybe they were renovated by the same builders at more or less the same time? Keep going and stay safe you two!
You could very well be correct, but that's a little outside the scope of our general knowledge. 🤷🏼♂️⛪ We also thought maybe it was indicative of the specific period the churches were built in. I know facebrick was very popular in the 70's and 80's, perhaps even earlier than that. The brickwork is truly spectacular though and so incredibly evenly done, skilled craftsmen for sure. 🤩 As always, we appreciate you joining us on our travels. 🚗😎
Sad to see it so derelict. I wonder if they had a brickwork as they had so many attractive brick buildings. I see it was named after Paul Kruger grandfather w
Yes, thank you for mentioning that! 👌🏻 Very interesting info about the town being named after Paul Kruger's grandfather, we didn't know that at the time of our visit! The brickwork on some of those buildings is truly fantastic, those craftsmen definitely knew what they were doing. 😎🏰
That is so interesting! We thought it was a very attractive building and at least is still currently used, albeit not as a religious building. Thank you for sharing that with us. I know the town has some decay, but we have fond memories of our time in Steynsburg. I'm sure you do too. 😊⛪
Those three buildings on the one side of town are really an example of what can be done. They should try and replicate that elsewhere in town, like the abandoned Town Hall for example. 👌🕍 Thank you so much for watching! 😎
The church in Steynsburg was dedicated to GOD. What a pity the rest of the town was not dedicated as well. I am saddened to see what has happened to the town. God must be extremely sad .
It was sad to see the decay in great parts of the town. There are people though who are making it their mission to uplift the town. Much respect to them. 👌 Thank you for watching.
We would've loved to visit Bulhoek, but time ran away from us and we still had a long road on gravel to our accommodation for the evening. Will certainly keep in mind if we're ever in the area again. 👌🏻
There are still many people living there who need to get to work, shops, etc. and need to make use of the roads while doing so. While parts of the town are clearly neglected, there are still folks in the community who would like to uplift the town and make it a great place to live again. We thought it was fantastic that something was at least being done to improve the infrastructure in the area. We appreciate you visiting Steynsburg with us. 😁🚗
Terug op die ou Vrystaat se lyding en ja, agterlik, maar tog ontroerend in die sin dat soveel lewens daardeur geleef het en steeds in dit leef, soos die krom vrouefigure in die film: so moeg en al half afgeleef! En swaargekry! En so, ai tog, vol lyfpyne wat gepaardgaan met die denke in die verstand - en daarin lê altyd soveel diepte. En ook altyd nog: 'n Biblioteek! Dit vergelyk baie goed met die Australiese dorpies "in the outback." People are indeed still living there ... en daar is altyd die ryker mense in die gemeenskap wat maar die wiele half ge-olied laat rol. Die fasades van die geboue is steeds imposant op hulle, o so dierbare, eie maniere. As die stadsaal al in 1907 gebou is, wonder ek werklik met watter geld? So kort na die vernietiging van die Boerevolk in die Vrystaat? Dalk het iemand inderdaad opgezoesh met een van die Britte. Wat ook maar ter verstane is. Steynsburg, weet ek werklik nie, waar dit is nie, maar. Nou-ja. Oor Ingrid Winterbach se nuutste roman het die van: Steyn in werklikheid geword vir my, maar uiteraard volkome fiksie, dus eintlik dan net FIKSIE en SO op die voorgrond getree in my beperkte bestaan. Hoekom Steyn? Gelukkig weet ek daar was geen Steyn in my voorgeslagte nie. So nee. Die Steyns is nie vir my enigsins iets nie. Dankie tog. Daar loop al klaar Coetzees, Oberholzers en wie weet wie nog in my kom vandaans terwyl ek eintlik net kom vandaan uit Pretoorsdorp wat ek ook nie meer ken nie. Wat ken ek? My kelderkamer en my refleksies oor my verlede. Dis ook maar al. (Hoekom sy haar roman ONRUS OP STEYNSHOOP genoem het, weet ek nog nie, maar dalk het dit iets te doen met hierdie plek Steynsburg wat nou in die Oos-Kaap is terwyl ek gedink het dat dit in die Vrystaat is. Mens kry inderdaad die idee dat hierdie dorpies min of meer dieselfde is.)
Those early-20th century buildings are just too beautiful, regardless of how decayed and neglected they may be. 😍🏛️ I would think the English pumped quite a bit of money into the country after the Anglo-Boer War., but I'm no history buff. Interesting that our video of Steynsburg made your mind wander to faraway places and things, I love that. We visited the town a long time ago already now, and only once, but I still remember it clearly, and fondly. 🚙😊
@@DustBugsTravel Indeed. I think so too-the English helped build up again after the Anglo-Boer War. I've watched a lot of your videos and find them very evocative, indeed, as if reading a book. As Professor Willie Burger explained about the novel STEYNSHOOP: "You close the book knowing that you have experienced something important, something very meaningful that is difficult to explain." I love reading novels, but I am also not knowledgeable about history. I also appreciate that you took the time to go and see the graves of the great writer Etienne Leroux and his family on their farm at Koffiefontein. I've always wondered what their graves looked like. Thanks for all your beautiful videos.
What has the municipality done with the money for the infrastructure.....place looks so neglected and dilapidated...just goes to show that it is not a DA run municipality but an ANC run municipality....sad to see how they have no value for our countries beautiful history.
It remains your choice to watch. Viewers don't subscribe if they're not expressly asked to. 🤷🏼♂️ I've modified our subscribe requests for our next series though, so hopefully they will be less bothersome to you. Thank you for watching! 😁🚗
Really I know that town as what I see in this video is not been just, you show no shops, no police station, no banks and only one fuel station from a distance, really I don't believe you were looking to give credit but really tried to make the town look like a back street town stay away zone, steynsburg is a small community with a tar road that you did not share aswell banks and known stores, shops, police station, local caffees, hotel and bottle store, that I would wonder why you would avoid to share with the public and even I would really not want to go back, if you want advertise a town on your Facebook page then try to help attract visitors and not make the town look like a deserted town with the negative looking video, there are banks, fuel stations, doctors, shops, post office, police station, Chinese shops etc and not to mention the B&B's and guest farms, please help motivate your followers, the town needs a positive post to help improve the quality of visitors attraction as I come from a nearby town and sadly the video doesn't show any fair status
I think you missed what we actually did show of the town. We had an interesting visit and showed what we saw on the random Wednesday we drove through town. We drove past shops, at least one bank, the Post Office, the school, the churches and much more. Thank you for watching. 🙂
They were just passing through with an interest in the history. You would do a good job of promoting the town seeing that you are interested in that side of it. I learnt a lot about the place from this video.
Dankie vir julle moeite om die kosbare geskiedenis te deel. Net n versoek om dit ook in Afrikaans aan die kykers te gee. Ons kan dit in Afrikaans waarlik so mooi beskryf en le tog so na aan ons hart. Goeie werk julle.
Thank you for watching! 😁🚗 I love Afrikaans. 😍 Although I'm originally from the Free State, I'm from an English-speaking family and would also like my family and friends, including my elderly mom, to follow our travels. 😊🚗
So sad to see all the stations that are non operational any more. Wish that some of them could be restored and made into monuments. Love watching your episodes we are slowly catching up now 😊
Good morning, Steynsburg is where my roots are. That skills colledge was the Paul Kruger high School and the hostel which I stayed at when I was in primary school and that traffic department building was a teacher's training college many years ago. It used to be a vibrant town in the sixties and seventies and early eighties it slowly started to quieten down.
Thank you for the info on your old hometown! Those three buildings you mention are still very pretty and well-maintained, which was good to see. 👌🏻 I can definitely believe that it used to be a vibey place in the past, just the fact that it seemed to have a fantastic caravan park at one point, tells me families loved visiting the town and even spent extended holidays there. 🏕️ We appreciate you watching!
Hi John i send a reply to u did u get it Francois.
@@francoisduplessis2413 hi Francois no I didn't get your message as yet but I'm sure it will come along.
And a number of our ancestors are buried in the cemetery in Steynsburg. My mom started her school career in Steynsburg. Grandparents farmed Marsden Heights and Springvale in the area before moving to Hofmeyr (Teviot) district, farming Fonteintjie and Melrose (Aandenk).
@@robinboyes8749 what was ur mothers name and maiden surname i was born in steynsburg 1953 francois du plessis my grandfather had a very big general dealer accross from the old post offices
Love watching you travel around the heart of our beautiful country. Having lived in Steynsburg for many years your film really makes me homesick. Thanks for posting
Thanks for watching! 😊🚗
I grew up in Steynsburg, some of my best years are there. I was in that town in 2002 for the last time. Thank you for the trip town memory lane
Anytime! I hope you remembered the many happy times you must've spent there!'🤩
Attended the primary school in 1966! Then Paul Kruger High school in 1967!
We had Voortrekker dances in the city hall on Friday evenings! The Boere rocked the platteland! In period when Gariep dam/ etc was built! Good memories. Lived in Hoogstraat..slept on Pres Paul Kruger farm in the open air!!
Best regards to fellow Steynsburg inhabitants!!
Those were the days, it sounds like! 😁 Thank you for sharing those memories, which clearly still have a special place in your heart. 👌🏻
This was amazing to me. I was just looking to learn more about Steynsburg because my Ouma's marriage certificate in early 1900s indicated that she was living there before she was married. It was good to see the old buildings that would have been there at the time, especially the railway station because she married a railways man, our grandfather and we don't know the history of how they met.
Now I have seen Steynsburg too. Would never have had the opportunity if it wasn't for you two. Thank you.
They may not all be thriving, but we still love visiting and exploring these smaller towns. They form such an integral part of the history of this beautiful country. Thank you for travelling along! 🚗🇿🇦
Notwithstanding the fact that it is Kruger day today Debbie.
Hey Dustbugs I love your videos, we watch them as often as they come up and especially nice to watch while we have breakfast. May I suggest a trip to Kareedouw (beautiful church there) and maybe Eersterivier in the Eastern Cape. You will love it. Another good trip with lots of new and old interesting things to experience is Patensie. Safe travels and happy stays, Bev Turner
Thank you for those suggestions, I've made a note and will certainly look at including them in future trips. 👌🚗 It's cool to know you watch our videos during breakfast, the best part of the day! 🍳🥓
Thank you for this video. I was born there and my grandfather owned the Algemene Handels Winkel in the main street. I have many happy memories of visitng family there. I have been in the USA for 45 years and would never have had an opportunity to see the town agian!
Thats an awesome church. The brickwork is art! So beautiful! All those old buildings are beautiful and well worth looking at. Pity some are so neglected. Glad to see your channel becoming more popular.
The churches and buildings were spectacular and well worth stopping at to have a look. Even that little one with the bushes growing out of it, had a sad charm about it. 😥⛪ We appreciate you exploring Steynsburg with us! 😁🚗
The first church is the Reformed Church. It was reclad with brickwork, if I am not mistaken, in the early ‘50’s. My father grew up in the town ( born 1916). The church still has a magnificent organ in it. Pity there is no one playing it.
My friends have a rather clever pot belly pig whose living quarters are spotlessly clean, he eats most things, though he has developed a discerning palate of late...similar to the townhall he too has no timepiece,however he arrives on time in the morning and the afternoon for his meals. One wonders what he would be thinking if he saw the station scene with humans seemingly happily sitting around in muck. Steynsburg contrasts abound here too. Kudos to the infrastructure upgrade and associated job creation 👏
The litter at the station was at another level, I'm afraid. 😏🗑️ There appears to be no maintenance or cleaning happening in town, other than the upgrading of the kerbs. Sad to see. 😥
Another excellent example of Decayus Africanus ANCus. Come back in a few years to see the full effect.
Hopefully the improvement of the infrastructure has a knock-on positive effect of some kind, one can only hope. 🇿🇦
This time it’s definitely not the ANC. That town started its decay long before the ANC ruled the land!
@@vkaitakirwa and the railway station,?!!
@@johannjacobs9437 no defence there😥
A complete disaster, unfortunately and sadly. 😥
I had to look up the Great Trek, as I knew nothing about it. How interesting
Yes like your wife said..."Once upon a time people tried"...it is so sad to see the decay of these once beautiful towns. Good to see though that they had some good rain.
Yes, that little museum building really got to her. 😏 It was a good, yet sad, experience to visit Steynsburg and we felt a little empty when we left for our next destination. It was good to see them working on the kerbs though and we hope that somehow a turnaround can be accomplished in town. They clearly had had a lot of rain in the area in the preceding days and some roads in town were a little sludgy, but luckily still passable. We were happy to see so much gravel in town limits. 😁🚗
@@DustBugsTravel Yes and unfortunately there will still be more towns like that on your trips. But let us keep our hopes alive...
Very sad indeed!
Loving your travels! Amazing to see the history and the almost urbex feel when in these small towns. Thanks for taking us along 🙌🏻
Thank you, we're glad you're enjoying travelling along! 😁🚗 We wish there were fewer abandoned and derelict places, but that's the sad reality in some of the places we visit. 😏
Another cool video, Tnx
Thank you, we were happy to bring Steynsburg to you. 😎🚗
@@DustBugsTravel my wife and I and our two kids travelled alot when they were too young for school. My job used to be training leathercrafters and entailed travelling alot, from Steinkop(NC) to Coffee bay(EC) and alot of places in between. Plus 3 trips to Kruger park and alot of Baviaaning and Tsitsikama(Natures Valley). My point, we dont travel anymore due to various reasons. So, its so nice to sit and watch your travels, join in on the fun you have and escape for awhile. Best of all it costs me nothing, so thankyou both 🤗
A memory a minute... I grew up there many years ago. I remember every nook and cranny. Used to go to the station cafe on sundays for a cooldrink and to watch the trains go by. Was good to see it all again but also sad to see the decline of what was once a thriving little town.
That Sunday memory sounds super special! 🤩 We can just imagine you sitting in that station building with people and trains coming and going. We just knew that station building had some special stories to tell, thank you for sharing them with us. 😊
@@DustBugsTravel it was also the only place where we could buy the sunday papers...🙂
@@elizabethterblanche5311 i was born in steynsburg 1953 went to school know the train station well used to catch a lift on the train and jump off at the water tower
Ek geniet.dit baie om na jul videos te kyk.Baie dankie.
Dis hartseer om te sien hoe Steynsburg agter uitgaan.Veilig ry verder.
I'm glad you're enjoying our videos, thank you! 🚗😊 It was rather sad to see so much decay and destruction of buildings which obviously were very beautiful back in the day. 😢
Way back in 1950 our family was connected to Arthur Southey who owned a farm outside Steynsburg . I remember going there as a child with my cousins
That's a long time ago! Thank you for sharing that memory. 👌🏻The town must look quite different today, but hopefully some landmarks from your childhood remain. 😊🏤
Good Morning. Well well well Paul Kruger used to live on a farm just outside of here. That is wonderful history. So grateful for your uplifting videos. Steynsburg looks fairly busy too. Can hear the birds singing and talking too. So enjoyable thank you.
Thank you so much! I also find it amazing that no matter where we go and which town we decide to visit and explore, there is always history so unique to a particular place. And Steynsburg was no different! 😊🇿🇦 You're right, the town was rather busy on the random Wednesday we visited, but the roadworks made it just that little bit more chaotic. 😁 How cool that you would notice the birdsong in a video like this, I love that! 😍🦜
@@DustBugsTravel You are always so interesting and see such riches that some people would not see. You know, I always hear the birds whenever you go and their calling and talking. Must be the warmth of your energies smiling through to them. Have actually started to look at houses for sale in the places you visit. Somehow that brings even greater appreciation of the place and souls living there. HAPPY DAYS ALWAYS.
Paul Kruger's GGGGGGranddaughter and I are work colleagues.
@@robinboyes8749
My word how wonderful. Great respect to her and his memory. Hope that you are both well and steady in these changing times. Thank you for writing. Warm regards John
That small brickwork church 👌
We use to love traveling to Steynsburg from Hofmeyr.
Many trains with steam traction passed that station in the good old days. I wish i could see the staion building fully functional years ago but ja only memories now. Thanks for the great videos now i can explore my own country from my chair in front of the computer. Baie dankie!
Welcome, thank you for joining us on our travels! 🚗😁 We were quite saddened by the state of the station building, it was clearly a beautiful one in its prime. 😥🚂
Remember that station so well, used to work there as a clerk during the sixties. Steynsburg had quite a formidable rugby team during 1968, the station foreman played for NEC.
New subscriber to your channel. Recommended by my husband who loves touring with you. This is my maiden tour with you 😁
Welcome! 😁 It's fantastic that you've decided to join us too! We hope that you'll enjoy exploring the smaller towns and roads less travelled with us. 🚗🤩
I’ve been binge watching your videos today. Absolutely loving them!
My sister owned the white house next to the station which she sold last year after about 5 years of living there. Wonderful memories of the times we visited there over the 5 years she lived there. Beautiful town but not much to do.
It sounds like she was very happy there, that's so good to hear! 🤩 It was our first visit to the town and we're glad we decided to explore a little. 🚗😁 Thank you so much for watching!
@@DustBugsTravel She was very happy there and is very sorry she decided to pack up and move back to East London.
But, as they say, what's done is done.
On a lighter note, I remember sitting on the veranda and the goats would just come up to us!🤗🤗🤗
How sad yet another almost deserted place and some place falling apart. At least they have a skills centre to train much needed ones and loved the neat traffic department. Interesting the two monuments of voortrekkers.
We were very impressed by those three buildings on the outskirts of town, it was really encouraging to see. 🤩🛠️ The town was quite busy on the day we.were there, but is clearly in need of some upliftment. We hope the community works together to make that happen. 😍
I got married in Steynsburg 20 years ago, well done guys.
Wow, hopefully seeing some of the town brought back happy memories for you. 😊 Thank you for sharing one of those with us. 🤩
I wonder which church???? Great memories coming back!
So sad these little towns have become so derelict.. such beautiful old buildings .. my husband and I used to travel all the roads less traveled to all these little towns in our combi .. sad to see how they have become more degraded then they were when we were still traveling.. if you in the Eastern Cape you must visit Bathurst 1820s British settler's town, on the road between Grahamstown and Port Alfred. It's more of a village then a town it's so tiny, but very beautiful, sadly some idiot has been chopping down all the huge old trees.. but it's still very quaint .. two original old churches the Anglican St John's and the Methodist, two completely different styles. Happy travels Dustbugs.. love watching your videos, as I've been to most places you visiting, so nostalgic..really miss traveling round SA and beyond. 🎉✨💖
Thank you so much, we appreciate you watching as we follow in your footsteps. 🤩🚗 Most of the towns we visit and explore now, neither of us have been to before. While the decay is very evident in some of them and very sad to witness, we still enjoy visiting them and imagining what they must've been like in their heyday. 😊 We've made a note of Bathurst and will certainly look at including it in a future trip to the Eastern Cape, we love quaint and tiny. And the architecture of churches. 😁⛪ Although you may not travel frequently anymore, you're always welcome to join us wherever we may go!
@@DustBugsTravel Awesome thank you.. after you popped up in my feed Iv been binge watching all your episode's, makes me feel like I'm back on the road, it's been amazing.. Thank you both, really am enjoying exploring with you .. some places have grown and others decaying, so interesting to see and catch up with what's going on in our country. Happy safe travels.. I can honestly say they were the best years of my life so far. Njoy 🥰
People are fighting for positions instead of restoring valuable history STRONG Buildings well DONE 😏
We know history is not everyone's cup of tea and have respect for that. But it's not necessary to destroy buildings, that we struggle to comprehend. 🥺
Dit is wat met plattelandse dorpe gebeur as boere verdwyn.
It was sad to see so much of the town in a state of disrepair. 😥
Exactly.. it's so sad.
Very interesting video it's a shame to see empty houses but the new colleague looks great I hope the students are taken to see the great brick work on the old buildings whoever did it was a real trades man as always enjoyed the video
What a great point! 👌 The students can see perfect examples literally just down the road, the legacy of the skilled craftsmen who came before them. Hopefully that instills some pride in them and they aim to attain similar standards when they leave to practice their craft. 🤩🕍
The home that Oom Paul was born in is now almost derelict.
As you have seen, and will see these were once thriving little towns that FUNCTIONED. It's criminal to see what they have now become.......
Yes, 'functioning' really says it all. We were rather saddened as we drove through town, the remnants of a once-vibrant place are still there. 😢
we used to drive from JHb, drive over gariep dam wall .. pass Steynsburg, Hofmeyer then to Cradock
That sounds like an interesting route. 👌 The Gariep Dam is in the near future for us, but we've done the rest of your route, just in reverse, it seems. 😁🚗 Oh, and we're always coming from the Western Cape side.
@@DustBugsTravel maybe one day we will have the chance to do a small town drive holiday on the back roads .. Love seeing the small towns .. I was born in Cradock.
You can tell who runs a town by its clocks.
I'm not entirely sure that is always the case. Our very own hometown of Strand is an excellent example that church clocks actually very often don't work, even in well-run towns. The lady in the Dutch Reformed Church office in De Doorns explained that loadshedding caused a lot of clocks to not be wound up anymore and eventually they just gave up on even trying. Check out Episode 488 if you're interested. 🚙⛪
This must have been such a beautiful town in its heyday. How sad to see it such a state of disrepair. I think when the oldies pass on, the next generations don’t want to bother with the upkeep. And so everything falls into a state of neglect.
I must admit, it was rather sad to see. 😢 We tried to focus on the stately old churches and a few buildings which seemed to have escaped the decay. At least there were a few of those left. 🤩🏰
for "generations" read "municipalities"
TRUE Stunning buildings ALL GONE🙈
Really sad to see, but we were encouraged by the ones that are still in great condition. There is hope yet! 🇿🇦
was born there very sad to see the town like that!
I hear you and can only imagine how you must feel about seeing your birthplace in mostly a sad state. 😥 It certainly looks like a town with a rich history. We enjoyed seeing all the beautiful buildings and churches. 🤩⛪
Steynsburg was interesting and rather forlorn. A pity residents could not be interviewed!
Noted. 👍
Very sad to see the state of Steynsburg, my family lived there for years, they built the roads and lived in the PRD camps .
What worries me when I see this worn-down state of the town is where do the people access medical help if needed in a hurry?What facilities are there ,clinics etc for ante natal care etc . This is my concern in the dwindling platteland communities across SA.
I have that exact same thought wherever we travel. There are many towns with seemingly extensive and well-equipped clinics, ambulances and such that I'm sure would be able to treat and transport patients in an emergency situation. There is a clinic in this particular town as well. But then there are others we've visited where we haven't seen any such indication and where I would imagine patients would have to travel some distance in order to get the help they need. Not an ideal situation in an emergency. We do see ambulances on the road networks between towns on the odd occasions, but I think they too are most probably in short supply. Lack of access to proper and urgent medical care would be a reason a lot of people won't be able to live in smaller towns., which is a sad situation. 🚑🏥
The problem with towns like these is due to the reliance of the trains. As there is no infrastructure or trains for that matter people cannot come into work. Happening in the big cities as well now. The decline of the railway in South Africa is astounding.
And very sad to see. 🥺 We hear from so many of the folks in most of these small towns that the demise of the railway system is what caused the towns to become struggling places where they were thriving at one time, mainly because of the railway. 🚉
You didn't get out at Steynsburg station ? Was hoping to see the front of it .
Nope, I did not. I did not feel comfortable leaving my wife alone in the car. 🤷🏼♂️
Another interesting and insightful trip. I may be wrong (probably am), but doesn't the brickwork on some of the larger buildings (eg churches) look much alike? Maybe they were renovated by the same builders at more or less the same time?
Keep going and stay safe you two!
You could very well be correct, but that's a little outside the scope of our general knowledge. 🤷🏼♂️⛪ We also thought maybe it was indicative of the specific period the churches were built in. I know facebrick was very popular in the 70's and 80's, perhaps even earlier than that. The brickwork is truly spectacular though and so incredibly evenly done, skilled craftsmen for sure. 🤩 As always, we appreciate you joining us on our travels. 🚗😎
Sad to see it so derelict. I wonder if they had a brickwork as they had so many attractive brick buildings. I see it was named after Paul Kruger grandfather w
Yes, thank you for mentioning that! 👌🏻 Very interesting info about the town being named after Paul Kruger's grandfather, we didn't know that at the time of our visit! The brickwork on some of those buildings is truly fantastic, those craftsmen definitely knew what they were doing. 😎🏰
Hi are you guys still on Steynsburg?
No, this video was of a recent visit to the town. 👍
Hi Amanda is jy van daar af ek is daar gebore Francois.
at 10:22 dit was die kinderkrans kerk ons het elke woensdag middag 3uur gegaan vir gods diens onderrig in die jare 50 tot 62
That is so interesting! We thought it was a very attractive building and at least is still currently used, albeit not as a religious building. Thank you for sharing that with us. I know the town has some decay, but we have fond memories of our time in Steynsburg. I'm sure you do too. 😊⛪
Goverment not using places like this to develop SOMETHING 💔
Those three buildings on the one side of town are really an example of what can be done. They should try and replicate that elsewhere in town, like the abandoned Town Hall for example. 👌🕍 Thank you so much for watching! 😎
Once upon a time...before the ANC rot took over.
The church in Steynsburg was dedicated to GOD. What a pity the rest of the town was not dedicated as well. I am saddened to see what has happened to the town. God must be extremely sad .
It was sad to see the decay in great parts of the town. There are people though who are making it their mission to uplift the town. Much respect to them. 👌 Thank you for watching.
Pitty, wat a sad site. Bulhoek is a visit worth wile
We would've loved to visit Bulhoek, but time ran away from us and we still had a long road on gravel to our accommodation for the evening. Will certainly keep in mind if we're ever in the area again. 👌🏻
I find it weird that they are working on the roads and sidewalks in a place fast becoming a ghost town.
There are still many people living there who need to get to work, shops, etc. and need to make use of the roads while doing so. While parts of the town are clearly neglected, there are still folks in the community who would like to uplift the town and make it a great place to live again. We thought it was fantastic that something was at least being done to improve the infrastructure in the area. We appreciate you visiting Steynsburg with us. 😁🚗
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Terug op die ou Vrystaat se lyding en ja, agterlik, maar tog ontroerend in die sin dat soveel lewens daardeur geleef het en steeds in dit leef, soos die krom vrouefigure in die film: so moeg en al half afgeleef! En swaargekry! En so, ai tog, vol lyfpyne wat gepaardgaan met die denke in die verstand - en daarin lê altyd soveel diepte. En ook altyd nog: 'n Biblioteek! Dit vergelyk baie goed met die Australiese dorpies "in the outback." People are indeed still living there ... en daar is altyd die ryker mense in die gemeenskap wat maar die wiele half ge-olied laat rol. Die fasades van die geboue is steeds imposant op hulle, o so dierbare, eie maniere. As die stadsaal al in 1907 gebou is, wonder ek werklik met watter geld? So kort na die vernietiging van die Boerevolk in die Vrystaat? Dalk het iemand inderdaad opgezoesh met een van die Britte. Wat ook maar ter verstane is. Steynsburg, weet ek werklik nie, waar dit is nie, maar. Nou-ja. Oor Ingrid Winterbach se nuutste roman het die van: Steyn in werklikheid geword vir my, maar uiteraard volkome fiksie, dus eintlik dan net FIKSIE en SO op die voorgrond getree in my beperkte bestaan. Hoekom Steyn? Gelukkig weet ek daar was geen Steyn in my voorgeslagte nie. So nee. Die Steyns is nie vir my enigsins iets nie. Dankie tog. Daar loop al klaar Coetzees, Oberholzers en wie weet wie nog in my kom vandaans terwyl ek eintlik net kom vandaan uit Pretoorsdorp wat ek ook nie meer ken nie. Wat ken ek? My kelderkamer en my refleksies oor my verlede. Dis ook maar al. (Hoekom sy haar roman ONRUS OP STEYNSHOOP genoem het, weet ek nog nie, maar dalk het dit iets te doen met hierdie plek Steynsburg wat nou in die Oos-Kaap is terwyl ek gedink het dat dit in die Vrystaat is. Mens kry inderdaad die idee dat hierdie dorpies min of meer dieselfde is.)
Those early-20th century buildings are just too beautiful, regardless of how decayed and neglected they may be. 😍🏛️ I would think the English pumped quite a bit of money into the country after the Anglo-Boer War., but I'm no history buff. Interesting that our video of Steynsburg made your mind wander to faraway places and things, I love that. We visited the town a long time ago already now, and only once, but I still remember it clearly, and fondly. 🚙😊
@@DustBugsTravel Indeed. I think so too-the English helped build up again after the Anglo-Boer War. I've watched a lot of your videos and find them very evocative, indeed, as if reading a book. As Professor Willie Burger explained about the novel STEYNSHOOP: "You close the book knowing that you have experienced something important, something very meaningful that is difficult to explain." I love reading novels, but I am also not knowledgeable about history. I also appreciate that you took the time to go and see the graves of the great writer Etienne Leroux and his family on their farm at Koffiefontein. I've always wondered what their graves looked like. Thanks for all your beautiful videos.
When are you going to introduce your wife to us,she sounds very nice and pleasant.
She says thank you! 😊 She's more of a behind-the-scenes type of person and appearing on camera isn't her vibe. 😏 Yet. 😉
This town has been dead for a long time. I have driven through here for over 30 years and all you see is misery all around.
It was our first visit to Steynsburg and we were both shocked and saddened by the state the town was in. 😏
@@DustBugsTravel next is Molteno. Dead town too. North of Steynsburg is Burgersdorp, a lively thriving town!
What has the municipality done with the money for the infrastructure.....place looks so neglected and dilapidated...just goes to show that it is not a DA run municipality but an ANC run municipality....sad to see how they have no value for our countries beautiful history.
It was sad to see some of the neglect, but we enjoyed our visit to this town and still found positives to be excited about. 😁🚗
So annoying seen the subscribe popup every time really takes ones focus away from the video enjoyment.
It remains your choice to watch. Viewers don't subscribe if they're not expressly asked to. 🤷🏼♂️ I've modified our subscribe requests for our next series though, so hopefully they will be less bothersome to you. Thank you for watching! 😁🚗
I thought the video was exciting, not sure about the commentary
And of course you're entitled to your opinion! 👌We document our travels as we go, in a way that is enjoyable for us. 😁🚗 Entirely your choice to watch.
Really I know that town as what I see in this video is not been just, you show no shops, no police station, no banks and only one fuel station from a distance, really I don't believe you were looking to give credit but really tried to make the town look like a back street town stay away zone, steynsburg is a small community with a tar road that you did not share aswell banks and known stores, shops, police station, local caffees, hotel and bottle store, that I would wonder why you would avoid to share with the public and even I would really not want to go back, if you want advertise a town on your Facebook page then try to help attract visitors and not make the town look like a deserted town with the negative looking video, there are banks, fuel stations, doctors, shops, post office, police station, Chinese shops etc and not to mention the B&B's and guest farms, please help motivate your followers, the town needs a positive post to help improve the quality of visitors attraction as I come from a nearby town and sadly the video doesn't show any fair status
I think you missed what we actually did show of the town. We had an interesting visit and showed what we saw on the random Wednesday we drove through town. We drove past shops, at least one bank, the Post Office, the school, the churches and much more. Thank you for watching. 🙂
They were just passing through with an interest in the history. You would do a good job of promoting the town seeing that you are interested in that side of it. I learnt a lot about the place from this video.
Dankie vir julle moeite om die kosbare geskiedenis te deel. Net n versoek om dit ook in Afrikaans aan die kykers te gee. Ons kan dit in Afrikaans waarlik so mooi beskryf en le tog so na aan ons hart.
Goeie werk julle.
Thank you for watching! 😁🚗 I love Afrikaans. 😍 Although I'm originally from the Free State, I'm from an English-speaking family and would also like my family and friends, including my elderly mom, to follow our travels. 😊🚗