S1 - Ep 172 - Willowmore - The Western Gateway to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- The road from Steytlerville was a major revelation. We had no idea this kind of road even existed in South Africa. A single strip road where vehicles from both directions have to move onto the gravel verge for oncoming traffic. We also saw a few stations on this route and the beautiful Kori bustard, the largest flying bird native to Africa. Then we arrived in Willowmore, known as the Western gateway to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness. We unfortunately couldn’t do that route this time but are planning a special one for a future trip. The town itself was really fun to explore even though it was raining and absolutely freezing! #DustBugs #adventuretravel #southafrica #southafricavlog #willowmore #tranbavians #wonderboom #baviaanskloof
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I remember travelling this road as a child. Solitree always made us laugh and remark on bad spelling as our mum was an English teacher. But back then, the railway used to run, and there was a little station building. Sad to see what has become of it. Watching this makes me feel very old. Lovely to see Willowmore again, in spite of the dreeeezle. Too much prickly pear can get you running to the lavatree! Never mind the solitree.
What an interesting road that was, we never even knew about it! 🛣️ We actually enjoyed travelling on it a lot! The Solitree station indeed has a very interesting spelling of its name. Our thought was that there must've at some point been a large solitary tree nearby which gave it its name. 🛤️🌳 I know the results of too many prickly pears all too well, been there a time or two, but so worth it! 🤢 We're glad you enjoyed our drive through the town, it was a nice place to explore.
Ha,ha ,ha
You know the big place with that sign thats my school
The one blue or gray building
What your aunt doing with you where is your wife
😁 Who travels with me, was and will always be my business. You should mind yours.
Fantastic video! Those small stations were most likely what are called "haltes" (halts) in Afrikaans. It was where the train stopped briefly to pick up milk urns and the like, not really for passengers. The line between Klawer and Vredendal in my day (late 60s) had many of them, which is why the local train took forever to cover the small distance between the towns. It was lovely, and yet sad, to see the twon where I started std 4 (Grade 6) in 1963. We stayed the the boarding house now called the Willow Guest House for a few weeks, then my parents rented a house on Wehmeyer St, on the site of which there's now a massive Post Office complex. Fond memories of walking to school across a little wooden bridge across the donga (the Noord Sloot) behind our house. I think the red bridge was a later addition to enable pedestrians to cross the sloot which often flooded across the road bridge (it did in my time there and everyone went to watch the brown flood water stream across the road bridge. I don't recall a foot bridge there at the time) .
Wow, it was incredible to read your detailed recollection of your time in Willowmore, thank you so much for taking the time to share that with us! 🤩👌🏻 I can actually see you walking to school in my mind's eye. 😊 Very interesting info about the trains stopping to pick up everything else, but passengers. That would explain those delays you alluded to. 🚆 Glad you enjoyed this one! 😁🚗
Cute town, just looks very cold. I still can't get over the railway infrastructure being so desolate. What a waste
It was absolutely freezing that day! 🥶🥶 We agree with you, we're always saddened when we see the abandoned stations. 😢
Well we travelled to Willowmore stopped of at Kapoet to have lunch and were told the story of this house. Best Karoo lamb and koeksisters. And you passed it at the end of your video
Your Karoo lamb and koeksisters sound divine! 🤤😁 We hope it was warmer on the day you visited, we were freezing! 🥶
I love your small town tours.places you drive by and always wonder how they look like.
Thank you so much! 😊 We also used to drive by, until we decided to explore a small town one day. We were hooked. 😁🚗 Happy to hear that you enjoy watching!
My Uncles farmed in the Baviaanskloof at Studtis. We used to go there for holidays. I stayed for a year in 1947. The train used to arrive at Willomore station at 2am in the morning. We we left it was just after midnight. My brothers and my self spent many hours playing on that station with the trolley while waiting for the train. A little sleep in the waiting room. So long ago and such good memories.
Thank you for sharing your personal memories of the area and especially the station. You must've spent many happy times there, especially being lucky enough to stay for a whole year. The natural beauty in the area really appeals to us. 😍 If we can imagine the station in its heyday without ever having been there before, we can only imagine what memories you must have of the place! 🚂 The train journeys must be some of the highlights of your visits.
@@DustBugsTravel Yes two days and a night on the train from Natal with such magnificent scenery all the way. Today I travelled the Baviaanspoort road on Google maps. Quite disappointing, nothing like it was through the Kloof. They have built concrete causeways across all the rivers which cross the road. In those days you had to pick your way across carefully in one to two feet of water and rocks. Such a pity.
@@DustBugsTravel BTW I did not see the original old station building. It has a big waiting room with a huge fireplace. All those buildings in your vid are new. Other than the station building there was only one goods shed and those spaced brick rooms for the milk cans so that they were out of the sun and air could move through so milk did not go sour. Thanks for the great vids, good work! I am planning a trip sometime in the future and will be going to that Klipplaat hotel for that juicy looking braai and homemade bread. When you do the Baviaanskloof vid after going down the Kloof and past Studtis you will see Sandvlakte which was the former Prime Minster JG Strijdom's family farm - a relative.
How sad all the lonely stations. Strange road first time I ever saw something like that. Glad the old jail that is being used as a quest house. The houses and buildings are so neat and tidy . Just love the wonder tree quite extraordinary. 🐗
Lonely stations, that's such an apt way to describe them, that's exactly what they are. 😏 The road was definitely a first for us, we quite enjoyed travelling on it and thought it was rather unique. 🛣️ We're glad you also found the Wonder Tree interesting. 🌳🤩
Wonderful to see all these beautiful places with you, thanks so much.
This was actually built for the Jewish community in 1907 (foundation stone laid on 8 April 1907) . In 1017 there were 30 members . I can make out a few words on the corner stone only .
Thank you for the info! 👌 I somehow knew it was Hebrew on the cornerstone, but couldn't make out what it said. 🏫
Hi Both. It's me again ! Just picked up on this episode and your comments about being cold in the Willowmore area made me chuckle. My late mate Brian and I stopped overnight in the Willowmore Hotel, in June 1976, it was so cold at night that we put the floor rugs on our beds to keep warm ! The hotel waiter was a really old fella' by the name of Albert, poor old chap he was so old he could hardly move along, but he did move like lightning when serving us our evening meal. Having been been an age in the kitchen he returned with our vegetables, religiously he gave both me and Brian equal amounts of sprouts, peas and carrots. Next he placed two roast potatoes on my plate before placing the one remaining spud on Brian's plate; turning to leave he noted the imbalance, quick as a flash and to preserve the status quo Albert whipped one potato off my plate and back into his serving dish then returned to the kitchen. We were told by the proprietor they kept him on as he had been employed there all his working life. When we returned in 1979 we asked after Albert and was told he had sadly passed away, but I'll never forget him. .... As for your three halts on the Oudsthoorn to Kliplaat section of railway i.e. Skerpkop, Solitree and Oven, in the 1970's and 1980's you could travel to them daily on the Cape Town to Port Elizabeth service, but only Oven was a booked stop at 03.45 (toward PE) or 19.23 (toward CT) , on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday the Johannesburg-Mossel Bay service stopped at Oven at 20.11 or 02.58. Both Skerpkop and Solitree were by request only, but you could use the guards van on freights or mixed trains along the line (about 10 each way per day) So sad to see what was once a busy station and railway disused. Once again, great memories re-kindled, thank you and Cheers from the UK
Your video was very informative I have driven through Willowmore upteen times and stayed over a few times,. You just need to work on your audio or more subtitles Best Wishes
The front of the church like a bull looking at you and ready to charge😃😁 Beautiful though
These videos must be kept safe for the future 🙏
I wish I had enough storage space to keep them all, but they will remain on TH-cam for the lifetime of our channel. 🤩
Love Willowmore. Have been there a couple of times.
Hopefully our video brought back some good memories for you of the times you visited. 🤩
My Israeli friend says this about the inscription on the plaque at 9:48 -
Looks like
Corner Stone Established
Hebrew date
Nisan (which generally is around April) the exact date isn’t clear.
We presume a Synagogue was built there.
You and your friend are indeed correct. 👌🏻 Not sure how I knew it was Hebrew on the plaque, but didn't figure out it was a synagogue. 🤷🏼♂️😁 Thank you so much for the interesting info!
Love the Willowmore station
It clearly must've been quite a busy station, judging by the size of it. We would've liked to see it back then, it's all deserted now. 🚇😢
If you take another look at the building , you can see the star of David on the top in front ,slightly damaged . Regards,
So interesting! 👌 Hopefully I'll be able to identify a synagogue next time we happen to see one.
Lovely people of Willow
I love your program.. In my imagination I'm driving with you, and discovering the beautiful places of our land.... From Erika fs...
My wedding reception was in the barn on the farm Sandkraal ! My wife’s family farm back in 1976 !
Sad to see such vital and useful infrastructure laid to waste. With the costs of petrol going up these places will be needed in the near future.
It is indeed sad to see such a big station, which had clearly been a major operation at some point, so desolate. 😥🚉
Have you been to Indwe Lady Grey Barley east?
Not yet, but hopefully some day! 🚙😁
Solitree railway station, extention to the Port Elizabeth line for export of wool.......ek geniet julle reeks
Thank you for that information! 🐑 We're happy to hear that you're enjoying our videos. 😊
I think that red bricked building, was for keeping produce cold. Hence the occurense at about every station. It had a concrete slab on top to help with temperature.
My place of birth..Pity you couldn't check out the old graveyard and historical "kruithuisie"where ammunition and gunpowder was kept.And Oven is actually the correct name,we know it by its Afrikaans name Bakoond.
Thank you so much for correcting us with the pronunciation of 'Oven', we honestly had no idea! 🫣 We'll certainly keep the other points of interest in mind for a future visit to the town you were born in. 😁👌🏻
@@DustBugsTravel I simply love it..Such a pity you guys didn't take the gravel road to Klaarstroom
Thanks for the very informative video 🛣️👍
Anytime! We're happy to hear you enjoyed our drivethrough of the town and got to see it through our eyes. 🙂🚗
I would imagine that the building with the Hebrew written on it was a synagogue. The upstairs balcony is where the woman sat
There is a similar narrow concrete road between Hanover and Noupoort
That is very interesting! We'll be heading in that direction soon and will definitely check it out! Thank you for letting us know. 👌🏻🛣️
Thank you for the interesting info on the Wonderboom!
Sure! We thought it was very interesting too. 🌳👌🏻
This reminds me of the old days when I used to travel with my late father from Uitenhage to Willowmore to visit my Granny
I'm glad that our video brought back these special memories for you. We appreciate you watching! 😊🚗
Have you ever been to Philipolis I believe it's a lovely town in the Free State
We have both been to Philippolis as youngsters with our respective families. It is definitely a town on our list. We're slowly working our way towards the Free State! 😁🚗
Thanks for info Penny.I won't be going there .Would love to see it though when you go there Dust bugs.
Pretty town hall! Lovely to go to work there!
Never knew the Karoo is so cold in winter.
It is indeed Oven as the Afrikaans name for the station is Bakoond 5:59
Stunning trip..I enjoy
Hebrew. = Sinagog
You missed all the history.the place has the best history museum for rugby in country.also missed best cover shop and pegasus's motor museum.
Your comment is noted. 👍🏻
What car you driving
A rental Renault Kwid. 🚙