The various regions of the S.A. West Coast

THE WEST COAST


Of Special Interest

Darling
Darling

THE SA-WESTCOAST HUB- South Africa's west coast revealed- towns, history, tours, routes, local attractions eateries, accommodation, and much more - Become a member - SEE CLICKABLE AREA MAP

PDF Print E-mail

Hopefield - LangrietvleiHOPEFIELD

Hidden away in the Swartland, half way between the two, is one of those places that if you blink as you approach the town you will miss it. The town's main feature is the local Dutch Reformed Church.

Hopefield is largely defined by fynbos, birdlife and farming, together with a history steeped in interesting architecture and archaeological finds such as fossil deposits from Elandsfontein and, appropriately, a cast of Saldanha Bay Man. The town bears testimony to the Anglo-Boer War, notably via the English soldiers´ graves, coupled with the fact that Boer Commander Manie Maritz had taken a brief respite here.

If it was not for the DRC church and its parish, which was established in 1851. the town would not be here today. Originally developed as a church community, the town started in 1844 on the farm Lange Kuil situated along the banks of the Zoutrivier.

After a small village had grown, permission was granted in 1853, in the Government Gazette, for a town to be established there. This was named Hopefield in honour of Secretary of the Government and Receiver of Revenue at the time.

Hopefield DR ChurchThe parish had no church building for 33 until eventually in January 1877 the corner stone of the church was laid. The community grew rapidly andwas soon in need of extra space so in about 1910 two new wings and the steeple of the church were added. At the same time a new Forster & Andrews organ (one of only ten in South Africa) was also added. The enlarged church was inaugurated in December 1911.

The church maintained jurisdiction over all matters of the town until  when the town was declared a Municipality in 1914. It even overruled the management committee elected by the inhabitants of Hopefield in 1903. Now Hopefield is the centre of an agricultural region serving farmers in the wheat and grain, dairy, meat, honey and waterblommetjie industries. It boasts a modern retirement centre for the aged as well as an education centre.

 

Hopefield is wheat and sheep farming country known for its spectacular displays of wild flowers in and around town, as well as for the fossil deposits, which can be seen at the Fossil Museum. Two of the farms on the outskirts are maintained as National Heritage sites.

Honey farming, is  fuelled by the bees´ attraction to the sweet fynbos flowers - 500 species in all!

Each spring, the green winter wonderland is transformed to an overnight spectacle of blindingly bright indigenous daisies and fynbos.It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Hopefield hosts an annual spring wildflower show, which takes place every August. Budding botanists will also likely find their feet (not to mention their soul) on the Kerschboschfontein Walking Trail or the Heldervlei Hiking Trail. Apply foot to pedal on the Kopervlei 4x4 Trail.

 Swartland tortoiseHopefield is a nature lovers paradise with a large wetland area which attracts birdlife and provides trails for hikers to enjoy.

The Commando horse and tractor trail has become very popular as it encompassses spectacular scenery that visitors would not otherwise see. Hopefield is hot in summer and is mild in winter making it an ideal place to visit during the cooler months of the year. Other than the Dutch Reformed Church there are a number of tourist attractions in the town which include a replica of an original “hartebeeshuisie” (reed house) and two historical Cape Dutch homesteads which have recently been declared national monuments.

In the local information centre a replica of the famous Saldanha man and fossils of animals found at Elandsfontein a fossil park a couple of kilometres away are displayed. I'm sure that residents of Hopefield would enjoy a visit from you next time you travel along the R45 on your way to Vredenburg or Malmesbury.

< Prev   Next >
 

 
In an effort to help put this glorious region more firmly on the map, we have pulled together as much information as we can, accrediting authors where necessary and providing links to websites or email addresses. If we have inadvertantly used your article or photograph without giving you full accreditation, we apologise and if you notify us we will rectify this immediately.