S1 - Ep 272 - Putsonderwater - An Abandoned Railway Town in the Northern Cape!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มี.ค. 2023
- How could we even think of coming to this part of the Northern Cape and not visit the famous railway town of Putsonderwater. We heard so much about it. We first had to navigate a pool of water and my boot sole came loose at the same time. So much fun! We were very excited as we arrived in town. It looks as if two houses were occupied so it was not so much of an abandoned railway town as we thought. Walking around the station with the sole of my boot dragging around was actually very sad. Looking at all the water features that were built close to the platform area, the beautiful palm trees still growing and the abandoned houses filled us with feelings of nostalgia. It was actually difficult to believe that happy families once called this place home. I am glad we got to see Putsonderwater before it disappears completely. #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #travelongravel #northerncape #putsonderwater
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Watching my old country dissolve, one brick at a time, terribly sad.
Guys, I stayed there around 1966 - 68 and was at school and hostel in Marydale.
This brings back incredible memories! ❤
You are right, it was a church but already not used when we stayed there.
The building with the wrap around porch was the post office, with a typical nommer asseblief telephone exchange. My mother was the Postmistress.
My father was the Station Master. We stayed in the house in which you walked, and yes, it was a donkey for bath water and coal stove for food. Long before electricity there.
The railway station was very pretty and won an award for the prettiest station in the country shortly after we left.
In addition to assisting local farmers for transporting their goods, it was the nearest railway station for the town of Kenhardt with a regular railway bus service from Putsonderwater.
When we stayed there the general dealer was still fully functional but the hotel behind it was closed already.
Amazing memories. Thank you!
Thank you for watching our video of your old hometown and for sharing those incredible memories and in-depth knowledge of the town and station with us, that is very much appreciated! 😊🚉 For us, the town still has an incredible beauty and charm, albeit very sad that it doesn't have a functional station anymore and that all the houses, but two I think, are unoccupied. How incredible that I, with my loose boot sole dragging on the floor, walked through your old house. I'm so very grateful for all the blanks that you could fill in for us first-hand. 🚙😍
@@DustBugsTravel ❤
Wow!!! Great memories for you 🙌
Putzonderwater was a beautiful Place...My cousin was married in that church..The Station was beautiful...We still have fotos...Every year they visited their parents Graves...in Putzonderwater...
I feel like I've now personally been there. Appreciating the broken-down buildings that were someone else's pride and joy in times past. Thought I'd just mention that I heard it mentioned (not so long ago) that the name Putsonderwater (without water) could have been that or Puts onder water (under water) but can't swear to which is the truth- don't think looking at the terrain that it was the latter. Thanks again. Before I forget, Sonia, well-done for trusting Curtus with the driving through the mud- you are getting braver and we enjoyed the road.
That pool had me wondering too if I'm honest, but all turned out just fine! We both got a little spooked after getting stuck in the mud once before, so we're very cautious now! 😨🚙 It was great taking you for a drive through this abandoned town, which has a unique and rather charming atmosphere. There is so much conflicting info online about the origin of almost every town's name, so we're happy to go with whatever makes the most sense, thank you for the info! 👌🏻🛤
That roadblock is known as Putmetwater.
True that! Luckily for us not a deep one! 😁🚙
I have been there and even slept inside the buildings in other words I had a boot camp there we had lots of fun.
Love the music with those nightmare horns under the surface cheerfulness.
I'm glad you appreciate the tunes, I thought this particular track was rather apt for the video. 🚙🎶
@@DustBugsTravel It is. Hope all is well with you in SA.
Another cool vid. At least it isn't a completely dead town with those weavers tweeting in the background. Love it.
Such a cool place, I'm glad you think our video did it justice! 😎 Those weavers came charging out when I was walking on the tracks, but I wasn't in time to catch them on camera. I'm endlessly fascinated by those nests and almost every telephone (I think) pole has a huge one as a permanent installation. 🐦 Thanks for taking the drive with us! 😁🚙
Drones just give that extra perspective.
Always wonder how much effort the people of this country have put in to build out of the way places like this.
Simply love what you do, thanks
Thank you, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the drone shots. I was looking forward to flying the drone over the town and was relieved when the weather allowed it. I totally agree with you. We often wonder what it must've taken to trek all the building materials, skilled labour, etc out to a place like Putsonderwater and build a town from the ground up. One can only but admire those efforts. 😍🇿🇦
Just a tip from a very experienced driver { I have bee a rep for most of my life). WHEN YOU ARE ON A WET DIRT ROAD ALWAYS RIDE IN THE TRACKS MADE BY OTHER CARS. - IF THEY GOT THROUGH - SO WILL YOU.
I especially enjoy your visits to my old haunts i,e. from Parys to De Aar and from Harrismith to Pofadder
I don't know so much! When the others are all high bakkies and off-road vehicles and we insist on doing gravel roads in a little sedan, I'd rather be safe than sorry! Got stuck in the mud once in an area without cellphone signal. Ain't going to chance that again! 😁🚙
The other Putsonderwatersign is hanging in someones lapa at his pub. Must be highly valued and collectable amongst those kind of people.
I never thought of that and you're most probably correct! I'd much rather see it on the road where it belongs, but different strokes for different folks, I guess! 🚙🛣️
Im so glad you went to this place. The name has fascinated me for years. Now I also know whats cooking over there....but the church with curtains...I was like whaaat? Just awesome
Thanks from the back seat😘
I'm glad you found Putsonderwater fascinating! We did as well. 😊🚙 I think the curtains have been up at the church for a long time and just left that way once it wasn't operational anymore. 💒 It was good to finally visit Putsonderwater, a place we've only heard about our whole lives.
Lovely and peaceful, with wide open spaces and beautiful clear blue skies. It's a real shame that those beautiful buildings are left to go to ruin. That little church building is so well built that it still looks strong after years of neglect. I wouldn't mind moving into and fixing up one of those old homes. I wonder if one would need permission to do so, and if so from who .... would anyone have any idea ? Love this video Curtis and Sonia, had to smile when I heard the evidence of your broken boot sole as you were walking, especially in the first house you walked through : )
My boot sole couldn't have decided to let loose at a worst time! 😨 Just as we were headed to Putsonderwater, where I couldn't wait to walk through each building since it's such an explorer's dream. But we have to play the cards as they are dealt, so the one building and the station it was! I'm glad you enjoyed it with us, it's really a special place. 😍🛤 I hear you loud and clear. I also thought what a fun project it would be to restore one of those houses and perhaps live there. I would imagine permission will be necessary, but I'm not sure at all. 🤷🏼♂️ I would start at the Marydale municipal offices since they're the closest town. They may be able to give you direction. You can also chat to the owner of the filling station, he's been in town since 1990 and he told us about the only permanent resident in Putsonderwater. We saw his vehicle, but no sight of him. As you probably saw, there was one other house that also looks occupied, but not a soul in sight. Thanks for joining us on this interesting visit! 🚙💒
@@DustBugsTravel Thanks for providing that info, I will look into it. Safe travels.
The Department of Transport most probably owns the place, as houses where built for railway personnel at the various train stations in SA.
@@mventer695 OK thanks good to know.
My mother use to talk about this town, and all i ever pictured was i big dam and a few houses, i was so wrong...that abandoned church in the middle of nowhere, can you imagine how dark this town is at night👻
Indeed, I can clearly imagine how dark it must be at night, but I won't go there too often in my mind! 😨 Putsonderwater is a special place with a very special place in so many people's hearts and a special place in the railway history of our country. It was even one of the prettiest stations in its heyday. A certain beauty and charm still exist here and will always, so it was good to visit and I'm glad you came along! 🚙😁
I wonder how the Dassie got himself to the "rocky granite outcrop". No other mates for him for miles!
We only saw one, but I'm sure there's a whole colony of them that calls that rocky outcrop their home! 😁🦛
Wow this is again so sad at least the birds are happy families which is a great comfort to me. A very strange place but beautiful in its own way. Loved the umbrella used by the animal.
I also loved the calf under the bird's nest, that was really cool to see! 🐦🐂 The birdies at the abandoned station was twittering away, which is always a great sound! I agree with you, there is still a certain kind of charm in Putsonderwater, I can only imagine when the station was still fully-operational back in the day! 🚙🚆
I know I went through there once on a train in the early eighties but I can’t remember anything else that stood out, thanks well done.
So interesting to hear that you still went through there by train in the 80's. You can call yourself lucky to have had that experience. 🤩🚉 We were wondering if those slabs that look like foundations, might have been more buildings. 🤔 Thank you for coming back to Putsonderwater with the two of us! 🚙😁
Watching this is heartbreaking .The wonderful Platteland simply disappearing never to reappear .With it goes a rich history
It is a sad story that an entire railway town is no more. 😥🛤️
Een weg zonder medegebruikers, zonder mobiele ontvangst, zonder schoenzool en dan ook nog onderweg naar een plaatsje mogelijk ‘zonderwater’, jullie zijn wel echte durfals 😅. Leuk dat Sonia het commentaar verzorgde terwijl jij de weg keurde, gelukkig voor ons allen dat de Dustbug de route kon vervolgen. Toch wel vooruitstrevend dat het kerkje volgens internet interconfessioneel was! Gezien het ontbreken van een NG teken, heb ik dat toch even opgezocht. Men woonde dus met verschillende gezindten vredig bijeen. Dat is met recht Bijbels gedrag, allen verzameld onder 1 ‘dak’. Prachtig dat oude hotel! De grandeur van oude tijden, die voorbij zijn … Thanks for the ride naar de kennelijk Zuid Afrikaanse mythische variant gelijk aan Timboektoe, Camelot, Xanadu etc. Je zou dan bijna denken dat er ook een lied is over Putsonderwater 😃
I was a litte concerned about the water on that gravel road, but was as happy as you that we could get through and that we could finally visit Putsonderwater, a name we've also only known to describe a far-away place in the middle of nowhere. It's so much more than that though! 😍🚉 Very interesting info about the church, thank you for sharing that with us! 💒 The buildings are indeed beautiful still, even in their decayed state. It was a special experience visiting this special place and I'm very happy you came along, loose boot sole and all! 😊👞
Thank you DustBugs Travel
Sure, thank you for watching! 🚙😁
Definitely a fascinating place, for sure! I would love to spend a day or two just sitting there observing the silence 😉😁
That sounds awesome! One has to just listen to the silence sometimes. Only broken by the breeze and the birds. 🚙😍
Been waiting for this vid for a while, thanks for the upload 🏆. Looks like my type of town where nobody can bother me 🤣. I have a hunch that Putsonderwater might just be revived in the future
I'm glad you enjoyed our visit to Putsonderwater! 🚙😁 I hear you, I think the handful of people who still live there still live there for that very reason. Let's hope your hunch is correct and that revival is around the corner. 🤞🏻
I have been through here on the train from Cape atown to Durban and back but the train did not stop here. That was back in 1971.
At least you passed through there on a moving train, that is a precious memory to treasure! Thanks for sharing with us! 🚙🛤️
I always imagine what life was back then. Now sad and deserted.
As we were driving around, I thought the same thing. What it looked like when the station was still operational and all the dwellings were occupied. It must've been a pretty place back then. 🚉🏡
Like you I always heard about Putsonderwater as being a really remote place. Some people called it Putsondergat! Multitasking nest! 🤣Yep, thats granite. Looks a lot like Paarlberg. I think it must have gotten farted up from the depths during some seismic activity. A real ghost town, but I bet those walls could tell stories! All these ruined buildings are an inspiration for me. I am going to do a series of paintings entitled Ruins. Thank you for a very interesting visit.
I'm happy that our visit to Putsonderwater will inspire a whole new series of paintings, the place certainly deserves that! 🚉🤩 Those granite boulders were absolutely amazing and huge! I can now only imagine the size of those at Paarlberg because they're probably hundreds of times as big as these we saw! ⛰️ There was most definitely a certain kind of charm to the buildings in Putsonderwater and I have no doubt that if they could whisper their stories, we would be absolutely amazed. Appreciate you coming along! 🚙😁
Fantastic video.
Thank you so much, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! 😁🚙
I will watch this tomorrow with my wife when I get home. Thanks guys
#weekendworkingintheuk
Great stuff, I hope you enjoy this one! 😁🚙
Many thanks for your brilliant videos! I lived in the Transvaal but I always loved the Karoo and my retirement plan was to live there, probably in Richmond or Hannover. As happens, life got in the way and now I am retired in Germany, also a nice place! Keep up the good work, I shall keep watching.
Greetings to you in Germany! 🙋♂️ I'm happy to hear you enjoy our videos of our beautiful country from afar! 🇿🇦🚙 As long as you're happy and healthy, that's all that matters. At least our videos will continue transporting you back to your home country. We look forward to taking you to many more places. We also love the Karoo and Richmond and Hanover are both fantastic places! 😉
Thank you for showing us Putsonderwater....another place I have never been...I was just wondering if that well with the little roof over it was not the original Put sonder water?...but maybe not.
I'm glad you could come along with us to this special place. 😁🚙 I had the exact same thought about the well, but I am really not sure, so didn't want to provide inaccurate info. It would be cool to know though. 🚉
Hi Curtis! Jy kort nog net so 'n oulike bruin en wit foxterrier hondjie om saam met jou te 'explore' in die ou murasies!! Dit sal die absolute hartsnaar- plukkertjie word in julle videos!! Ons hele geskiedenis het 'n foxterrier hondjie in!!
😁 You'll have my wife on board immediately. 😍🐶
Wow I don't know how I have missed your channel all this time! Great video and great content. I will definitely be going back and watching some of your other videos. Liked and subscribed!
Welcome to our channel! 😁🚙 Thank you so much, happy to hear you enjoy our videos. There are certainly enough of them to keep you busy for a while!
@@DustBugsTravel Thank you!
Sent you an email regarding your stay in Prieska. You met my daughter there.
You guys finally made it there! If those walls could talk hey?
Oh yes! And here they would whisper louder than in most places, I'm sure! 😍🚙
Thank you for travelling the dust roads to get to places like this. Sad to see the neglect but wondering how many stories those people could tell about Putsonderwater.
It's such a pleasure for us to travel to these places on gravel roads and to share our experiences with those who also enjoy seeing out-of-the-way places. 😁🚙 I agree, there must indeed be a miltitude of very interesting stories about Putsonderwater. As so often before,we wished the walls would whisper just a few of them. 🏡🏫 Thanks for coming along!
Nowadays it's called Putvolgras 😜
That would be highly appropriate! 😁🚙
Hi guys another eye opener for me apart from a couple of residents a deserted town all I was waiting for was tumble weed going past the station must have been pretty with the water features the trading store brought back memories also the nests the little church with buttresses must have been nice to the abandoned houses make you think at one time people took care of them. The approach into town with the cow shaded by the nest amazing you did the right thing checking for depth of water reminds me of when I got stuck in the mud like that on a gravel road lucky for me a guy came past in a bakkie and said I'll tow you out unfortunately this didn't work so he said I'll get the guys who are working on the nearby houses to help anyway before you know it about 30 guys turn up in unison they started chanting picked up my van and took it out of the mud only in South Africa I was really grateful gave the foreman the money for a couple of crates of beer 🍺 thanks for the video cheerio till the next one ps just remembered I had a similar thing happen to me with my shoe sole falling off so the guy who worked for me said no problem boss so we pulled up on the side of the road and a guy made me a pair of sandals from a tyre crazy 😀 👍
I loved reading about your experiences of getting stuck in the mud and also losing a sole. Those stories could only have occurred in South Africa! 😍🇿🇦 Since we got stuck before, we're a little cautious since it usually happens in remote areas where there is no cellphone signal or help close by. We didn't see a single vehicle on this road there and back, so I'm not one for taking chances when Sonia is in the car with me, it's just not worth it! 🤷🏼♂️🚙 Fortunately the water wasn't deep and the soil was actually quite hard underneath, so we were all set! My boot sole came loose at the most inopportune time since I really looked forward to exporing Putsonderwater on foot. It's a special place with special buildings in which special people no doubt lived at one point. I'm sure the handful of residents live a peaceful and undisturbed life, which is quite enviable in a way. The enivronment can be rather harsh though, I'm sure! Thanks for coming along! 👌
O my God is it how we rebuild South Africa
Putsonderwater has been an abandoned railway town since the 90's. I'm not sure what you mean. 🤷♂️
Love it !!!! Specially the DRONE footage !!!! Travel safe !! Hope you can fix your shoe !! :)
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the drone footage, I thought this was the perfect place to fly the drone and fortunately the weather cooperated too! 👌🏻 I did manage to fix my shoe in the next town, but what horrid timing that it would happen on our way to Putsonderwater, where I was looking forward to covering the whole place on foot. So the cookie crumbles, they say! 😁🥾
Happy days of these old settlements are gone forever, but the memories last a lifetime. the beauty of the nature and most of the people remain.
Thank you for your comment, that is exactly how we also look at things. The beauty of what remains and what was, can never be overlooked, no matter how bad the present-day situation is or gets. 😊🚙
However, it did stop at Oranjerivier which is on the same line. Children came up to the train windows for sweets and money. That station was well kept. I remember the Orange and yellow marigolds planted in a bedding u Der the station's name sign.
How interesting! I can only imagine the flowers under the nameboard, that must've been a pretty sight! 🌻🚉 I'm sure you saw our video of Hopetown where we visited the Oranjerivier Station, which is sadly no longer operational and the building has been vandalised. That was sad to see. 😥
According to stories... it was Put Onderwater to the first occupants of the area...
Indeed. I believe it was called that when the well was flooded and only animals could drink from it. No potable water was available during those times. 💧
I also believe it was Puts onderwater.
Years ago Jan Spies explained that is actually Puts Onder Water and not how people say Put Sonder Water. (just for interest sake)
Thank you for the info! 👌🏻 I also heard somewhere that it was called that beause the well was often under water when the area flooded. 😊🚙
From another source there was a person with the name of Ockhuis who established "Putsonderwater" when people used to stop there and ask for water he would say that the 'Put' was without water so he could have it all to himself hence the Putsonderwater.( Sounds the better story)The person that you did not see was Blackie Swart who lives there,two tents on the inside of the building you passed,uses solar power to keep living there is the man you should have talked about the town.Also previous prime minister BJ Vorster was kept prisoner in the second world war in the small prison next to the police station.The town in 1989 was the winner of the best kept station in SA at the time.Primary school closed in 2004 when the last person left the town.
Check out 'Chris Corbet' on youtube for the info on Putsonderwater
Train passes there every second day according to Blackie Swart
Such a "well discription" meaning in my beloved Afrikaans terminology ......in the middle of nowhere
Yes, that's exactly how we've come to know Putsonderwater as well! 😊🚙
Hi you two!
A great gravel road trip, with a mud hole and all, under the beautiful blue skies. Isn't it great how animals look after each other? Even weaving an umbrella for a calf to hide from the searing sun! That heap of rocks in the middle of nowhere was amazing. It's difficult to figure out that it must have come from beneath. Whatever.
The ghost town is really scary. I noticed a vehicle at one of the buildings. Who was that and what was he/she/it doing there?
Apart from it being abandoned, the lonely small church is situated so far from anything it set my mind out of gear.
There must be large farms around. Where do they go shopping? Maryvale? (hardly!), Prieska? Kenhart? Just wondering.
Thanks for taking me along on this very interesting trip. The name Putsonderwater was known to me, but now I also know what it means: "Put sonder mense".
Looking forward to the next trip.
Keep safe!
It was certainly an interesting trip, there's no doubt about that. 😁🚙 We just loved the bird's nest being used as an umbrella, we got a major kick out of that! 🐦🐂 The owner of the filling station in Marydale told us there is one permanent resident in Putsonderwater and it must be his vehicle we saw. We didn't see him though. We saw one other house which obviously is occupied as well, but no person in sight there either and we didn't want to disturb. As far as I can tell, they would go to Groblershoop for shopping, which is the closest biggish town, otherwise for daily essentials I would imagine Marydale would work. Prieska and Kenhardt aren't too far away either and if they need a big place, Upington is about 200km away I'd say. Tough life being so remote, I'm sure. 😨
Ja! they say those granite rocks were piled on a heap by ancient aliens , and if one looks closer, they have etcings of elephant and other animals not found in the area anymore. The etchings are just their way of a kind of record/ graphic survey of what they found there. This type of thing can be found throughout all the continents of the world...
En da dink ek pitsonderwater was net n spot storie 😮
And now you can say you've also been there! 🚙🚉
baie mooi waardeer die video die pad waar op julle uit ry is dit op pad na Kendardt dankie Francois
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 🚙😁 We were headed to Upington, so took the road out to the opposite direction and not to Kenhardt.
If only the walls could speak
Ecactly, we would listen eagerly. 🤩🏡
It's actually "Puts Onder Water"
Not "without water"
Thank you for the info. 🚙
I’m sure I’ve seen this place in one of your previous videos or is it dejavu’🤷♀️
Welcome back! I missed your positive comments and I hope you had an incredible visit to the African continent! 😍🌍 Dejavu, I think! We've never been to Putsonderwater before the visit in this particular episode. If you've watched an episode a few ones after this one, you may catch a glimpse of it again. I don't think you've seen that one yet since you watch them in chronological order in groups. I won't give you too many details, I'll let you happen upon it yourself! 🚙😁
@@DustBugsTravel probably watched someone else’s coz I actually remember seeing the lone resident who stays in a tent in one of them dwellings.
Why no comment on the row of poles all with social weavers nests?
It sounds like you've missed some of our previous videos in this series. We've encountered these nests throughout this part of the Northern Cape and have commented on and featured the weavers' nests on multiple occasions. 🐦😁
@@DustBugsTravel Thank you! Much appreciated!
Nee man dis net 2 duim water ry my ou
And that's exactly what I did, my ou, once I could put my wife at ease. Bravado is not my thing, making sure my wife is comfortable and safe is my top priority. 🤓