Mzanzi Travel - Local Travel Inspiration (Issue 5)

Explore Explore Africa
On the frog trail in the Chrissiesmeer Lake District /Kate Borradaile
while the village hosts an annual wild flower day on the third weekend of each
January.
In addition, Chrissiesmeer and the surrounding districts are renowned for the
many beautiful sandstone buildings dating back to the mid-1800s found here,
another reminder of Scotland. Many have been beautifully restored and can
be visited. Among them are the Ou Sending Pastorie (Old Mission Parsonage),
the old Jail now used as self-catering accommodation, the old Methodist
Church, the old Barclays Bank, Chrissiesmeer Trading Store (now the McCloud’s
Factory), the Old Mill (now the McCloud’s Shop), the Reformed Church, the old
NG Church and more.
The old Dumbarton Oaks Hotel in the village was a popular stopover for
transport drivers on their way to Delagoa Bay, today known as Maputo Bay.
Among some of the infamous and famous who stayed in this hotel were the
serial killer Daisy de Melker and Swaziland’s King Sobhuza. Farm houses and
other old buildings such as sheds in the familiar sandstone style are also
dotted throughout the region, with the odd old building sometimes found
near the water’s edge along the lakes, providing a composition that will delight
photographers and artists alike.
The town’s cemetery, full of history, is another interesting place that can be
visited. It is the final resting place of many Boer and English soldiers who died
here in the Anglo-Boer War, as well as during the Battle of Chrissiesmeer which
took place here on 6 February 1901. Romantics will be charmed by a unique
love story. British soldier Arthur William Swanston died here a hero in a 1900
battle while attempting to save the life of a young private. Both are buried here.
Swanston’s fiancé, who lived in Scotland, sent flowers to the local post office
with a request to have them placed on the fallen soldier’s grave. She never
visited her love’s grave, but each October for the next 65 years a bunch of
heather would arrive at the local post office to be placed on the grave.
One of the largest collections of vintage tractors, including examples of nearly
every tractor model sold in South Africa since the 1920s, is found at farmer Jan
Randell’s Ranch Museum. In the district you will also find some very interesting
rock formations, considered a place of spiritual significance by the descendants
of early inhabitants of the area, and which is considered to be one of the holiest
places in South Africa by the famous Soweto-based traditional healer and
spiritualist Credo Mutwa.
Apart from the clear sunny skies and dramatic African sunsets, the feeling of
being in the Scottish Lake District can be completed with a bit of fishing. But you
MZANZI TRAVEL| www.mzanzitravel.co.za|ISSUE 5 | 43