Free State provincial article - South African Vacations

CUISINE
Biltong Factory: The Biltong Factory shows visitors how this well-known South African treat
is made. Meat, spices and dry air are all that is needed to make this protein-rich snack.
FAUNA AND FLORA
Birdwatching: Virginia is situated on the migratory route and many rare varieties of birds fly
into and flourish in the town and its surroundings.
Guest Houses and Holiday Farms: Lekker Rus is situated just outside the town and has a
caravan park, restaurant and boating trips. Elizamor, “Die Ou Huis” and “Boer en Brit” also
offer accommodation and true Free State hospitality.
Harmonie Farmhouse and Riverside Resort: The resort has a caravan park and angling
facilities. The original farmhouse was burnt down during the Anglo-Boer War and later
rebuilt.
Sand River Resort: This resort has bungalows and a caravan park along a 10 km long
stretch of the Sand River and is popular among stressed-out visitors. The area is also a
nature sanctuary.
Tourism Raft: The tourism raft on the Sand River seats about 50 people and is available for
cruises and a variety of other activities.
Virginia Game Reserve and Park: The Virginia Game Reserve houses a large number of
small species of antelope. It is also a birdwatcher’s paradise, with many water birds and
guinea fowl.
HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
Sand River Bridge: The old railway bridge spanning the Sand River was the place where
the British signed the Sandrivier Convention on 17 January 1852, thereby legally
acknowledging the “Voortrekkers’” right to an independent republic north of the Vaal River.
War Cemetery: The graves of more than 20 British soldiers who died during the Anglo-Boer
War are in the cemetery. A monument erected in honour of a Major Louis Irving who died
here on 14 June 1900, can also be seen in the cemetery.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Mine Tours: Some of the deepest and richest mines in the world are found in this area. A
mine tour will enable you to understand all the hard work that is involved in the mining of
gold. Regular exhibitions of tribal dancing form part of some of the tours.
WELKOM
The city of Welkom (“Welcome”) is the second largest city in the Free State. After the
discovery of extremely rich goldfields in the area, in 1947, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer,
Director of the Anglo-American Corporation, which had gained a controlling interest in the
new goldfields, announced that a garden, not a mining, city would be established close to
the most important shafts. To this day, Welkom is known as “the city within a garden” on
account of its many parks and recreational areas. The large volumes of saline water
pumped from the mines collect in hollows (“pans”) on the sandy plains to form the dams
and lakes that attract the many aquatic birds, especially flamingos, for which this city is
famous. These pans and lakes also offer superb water sport spossibilities for residents and
visitors alike. Today, gold and uranium are mined in Welkom in great quantities and at
considerable depths.
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