Vanrhynsdorp

Vanrhynsdorp is a town 300 kilometres north of Cape Town on the N7, near the West Coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. In ancient times, the Vanrhynsdorp's mountains were home to the San Bushmen and many rock-paintings of these Late Stone Age hunters can be found in rock shelters in the region. Dutch settlers explored the area in the 1660s and first settled there in the 1740s. In 1866 a church was built on the farm Troe-Troe, named after the river flowing through it. A town Troe-Troe was laid out in 1887 and became a municipality in 1913. It was re-named after Petrus Benjamin van Rhyn, a politician and former owner of the farm. The town lies at the Maskam Mountain which is part of the Matzikamma massif, rising about a thousand metres above the plains. The area is in semi-desert plains of the Nama Karoo, with its typical vegetation of succulents and a dry, sunny climate. Vanrhynsdorp's succulent nursery, is the largest of its kind in the world. The so-called Knersvlakte, densely studded with quartz stones, lies north of the town. These plains produce a unique variety of miniature succulents called baby bums by the locals. Like most places in Namaqualand, Vanrhynsdorp is also a wildflower paradise during the late winter and early spring. Activities in the area include: Farming: wheat, grapes, lucerne, rooibos. Mining: gypsum, marble.

GAS REFILL:
Try the Agrimark in town.

HEALTHCARE:
Vanrhynsdorp Clinic (public) +27(0)27 219 1733 & Molsvlei Clinic (public) +27(0)27 632 5147.

SHOPS:
Pepstore clothing.

TRANSPORT:
Mercedes garage in town.

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