No rush at Onrus
They have camped nearly everywhere, and the Onrus Caravan Park ranks as one of the best municipal resorts in South Africa, says Hannes Swanepoel of Langebaan.
My wife, Annatjie, and I are members of the South African Caravan Association (SACA) and have often camped with them on rallies at Onrus. We tow a Jurgens Penta with our BMW X5, and Spyker, our miniature Dobermann, always tags along. He even has his own SACA colours.
PEOPLE ARE WARY OF MUNICIPAL RESORTS. WHAT’S ONRUS LIKE?
There really isn’t much room for complaints here. We’ve camped here on our own as well as during SACA rallies – at one stage we even had a semi-fulltime caravan here. The big concern with municipal resorts is safety, but here at Onrus they have put the necessary measures in place. They set up a pretty high fence and on the sea side is a gate at Davies’ Pool that gets locked at night. So you feel safer here, but that’s not to say you should not watch your stuff. Don’t leave bikes and other items lying around at night.
WHAT ABOUT THE CAMPSITE?
Onrus is a large resort with close to 240 stands, of which a good 50 or 60 face the sea. You can’t always see the ocean from all these stands as the milkwoods grow pretty densely here. You would usually look for a spot with shade, but here you want to find one where you can get some sun. As you’d expect, grass doesn’t grow here in the shade, but the rest of the campsite is covered in a lovely green carpet. Another plus is that the wind hardly ever bothers you here. I light my fire at night and the smoke rises straight up into the air. You braai on half a drum that you can move around, but you need to bring your own grid. We’ve camped all over the country, and this is definitely one of the better municipal camps in terms of cleanliness and maintenance.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE ABLUTION FACILITIES?
There are four ablution blocks with separate bathrooms for men and women. There are more than enough facilities for all the stands and you don’t have to queue to take a shower. I would rate the ablution facilities as at least three, even four stars.
WHAT ACTIVITIES KEEP YOU BUSY HERE?
There are many restaurants and attractions in the area, and you can plan a wonderful day trip to see various places, including Hawston and Gansbaai. The resort itself doesn’t have a swimming pool, but the rock pool Davies’ Pool is right by the gate and there are lawns and benches where you can relax. Kids get a playground with a jungle gym.
IS THERE A RESORT SHOP?
You can walk to any number of shops just outside the gate should you need something.