W for Wolwefontein and a wagon

In the old days when the world still operated at a more leisurely pace the main road from Port Elizabeth to Graaff Reinet passed through the village of Wolwefontein. Situated 125 kms from Port Elizabeth on the turn off to Steytlerville, Wolwefontein owes its existence to a hotel, a general dealer, a police station and a railway siding. If you blink when driving past, you will miss it.
As roads and vehicles improved so the need for the little country hotels fell away and the Wolwefontein Hotel eventually shut its doors, due to a lack of patronage - for a few years anyway.



Sue and I stopped in at Wolwefontein on impulse on one of our trips and discovered a rare gem in the Karoo. Several years ago a bored farmer’s wife bought the hotel and restored it. She provides good meals to the locals and has a thriving pub. The hotel still gets little passing trade, so for a large part of her income, she relies on letting rooms to overseas hunters during the hunting season.



Her one innovation was to organize a motor bike rally, which she said was a roaring success. One evening, she told us the bikers announced they would drink the pub dry and she gleefully accepted the challenge. They were at one stage putting away R4,000 ($600) worth of liquor per hour. Unbeknown to them she had made a deal with a supplier to provide enough booze to float the Titanic, on the understanding that whatever was not used could be returned. She never ran out and smiled all the way to the bank.

The arid Karoo countryside around Wolwefontein is suitable for sheep, Ostrich and game farming


The village still boasts a general dealer, only at this one they keep Ostrich chicks on the veranda.



I discovered this wagon at the far end of the village. It was probably left there by its last owner, when he swapped it for a truck. Believe it or not this is the old main road.



Close up views of the detail on wagon.