A reading journey to places back in times past

There are so many lovely towns and places to visit that are less than a two-hour drive from the centre of Cape Town. The Overberg, in particular has a diverse offering for visitors.

Situated between the Hottentots Holland Mountains and the Breede River, the Overberg is a fertile agricultural region that offers much for holidaying tourists and especially for nature lovers.

Historian and author Chris Schoeman has brought us The Historical Overberg, a history of the area and its people.

The names of many of its towns and places might be familiar to us, but maybe not their histories. How places like Sir Lowry’s Pass, Caledon, Swellendam, Bredasdorp, Greyton, Hermanus, Cape Agulhas, and others came to be makes for a delightful and informative reading journey.

Schoeman has also included profiles of some luminaries who have called the Overberg home – familiar names like Uys Krige, Errol Tobias, Sir David de Villiers Graaff, Stuart Cloete and Gregoire Boonzaier are featured. Some of South Africa’s oldest towns, houses and missionary stations can be found in the Overberg and its treacherous coastline has been littered with shipwrecks for centuries.

For me, one of the area’s real little gems is Genadendal, the location of the first mission station in southern Africa. Situated a few kilometres outside Greyton, it is charming, characterful, interesting and friendly. The Historical Overberg is well researched and written and illustrated with some wellchosen photographs. The history part of it is made very accessible. Whether one reads the book before or after a visit to the Overberg, it will add tremendous value to the experience.