Aug
2015
Bot River is a town located in the picturesque Overberg region of the Western Cape. The town and region was agriculturally developed by the Khoi-Khoi many centuries ago, of which the evidence is still archived and preserved in the many caves and historical heritage sites in the region.
The Dutch East India Company established their outpost Compagnes Drift, a farm in this scenic town and the town grew from here serving the agricultural community as a whole with producing wines, fruit and some livestock. Thus the town was established somewhere in the 1800’s taking the timeline into account of the arrival of settlers in the region.
The Dutch East India Company did not allow its “burghers” to own the land and thus it was let to them in return for sharing in the profits of their crops.
In 1902 the railway line from Caledon reached this idyllic town and this greatly assisted the farmers in selling their crops into the Cape Town export market.
The farm later renamed Beaumont Wines was one of the many buildings in the town that was preserved and restored. These old heritage buildings are a major tourist attraction along with the other wine estates in the region.
The Houw Hoek Mountains, wine farms and scenery is a secondary source of sustainable income to residents of the town which is not a seasonal attraction.
Tourist attractions mean properties are diversified to cater for guests in the form of Bed & Breakfast’s and guest houses.
Tourist attractions to Bot River are the Cape Whale coast, which attracts national as well as international tourists in the months of June to November, the Green Mountain Eco Route, the Houw Hoek Pass and Venster Kloof Nature Reserve.
Take a tour of the properties on offer in the Overberg region via the MyRoof website which include the towns Caledon and Fisherhaven.
