De Aar, the third largest town in the Northern Cape, is centrally located on the main railway line between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Namibia and tarred roads to surrounding towns. The junction was the second most important railway junction in South Africa, with 110km of railway lines including 29 rail-tracks. The name De Aar refers to the underground water supply in arteries with all of De Aar’s water coming from boreholes. 68 boreholes in the surrounding area of the town, ensure the water supply.
things to see & do
- Olive Schreiner, the famous author and feminist who wrote Women and Labour, used the live in De Aar and the house has been converted to a restaurant.
- Garden of Remembrance - honouring British soldiers killed in the Anglo-Boer War.
- Khoisan rock engravings - can be viewed in the district on the farms Nooitgedacht and Brandfontein. The area is also well-known for hunting which can be done on various farms.
- Hiking and cycling
- Horse Trails
- Paddle down the Orange River
Places to stay
- De Lange Lodge
- Melissa's Guest House
- B@ Home
The Area: The Karoo
With the first rains, the seemingly arid soil of the Karoo bursts into abundant life, its hardy succulents complementing the sweet grasses on which the region's merino and fat-tailed sheep graze. The everpresent windpumps testify to the countless streams flowing between fissures underlying the dry but fertile soil.
Small, isolated but welcoming villages, a distinct Karoo architecture and imposing churches rest in valleys between desolate, flat-topped koppies. Take a short trip from Colesberg, an essential stopover for all travellers and a sheep-farming centre, to Hopetown, the scene of South Africa’s first recorded diamond find.
Return, passing Orania, a self-proclaimed Afrikaner volkstaat, before making your way to Vanderkloof and the Rolfontein Nature Reserve on the shores of the great Vanderkloof Dam.
Indulge in watersports or relax on its secluded banks which stretch 100km to the Doornkloof Nature Reserve on the man-made lake's southern shores. Throughout this wonderful part of the great Karoo, you can visit, hunt or hike on game farms and nature reserves teeming with every species of antelope. And, like the country they live in, the hardy inhabitants of the Karoo make you feel immediately at home in their beloved countryside.
- Paragliding and other air sports at the airfield
- Golf at De Aar Country Club
- Restaurants & Bars (De Herberg Lodge restaurant)
- Olive Schreiner, the famous author and feminist who wrote Women and Labour, used the live in De Aar and the house has been converted to a restaurant.
- Garden of Remembrance - honouring British soldiers killed in the Anglo-Boer War.
- Khoisan rock engravings - can be viewed in the district on the farms Nooitgedacht and Brandfontein. The area is also well-known for hunting which can be done on various farms.
- Vaderkloof Dam- perfect for hiking!
- Hiking and cycling
- Horse Trails
- Paddle down the Orange River
De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, it was established in 1903 and has a population of around 46,000 people. De Aar was originally on the farm called De Aar which means "the artery" which is a reference underground water supply. De Aar is centrally located so the goverment chose the location as a junction for the first railway line from Cape Town to Kimberley in 1881. The junction was of very stragetic importance for the English during the Second Boer War. In 1889 two brothers, Issac and Wolf Friedlander, who ran a trading store and hotel at the junction bought the De Aar farm. After the Anglo Boer War the brothers appraised the farm for the establishment of a town, the municipality was created a year later and the first mayor, Dr Harry Baker was elected in 1907. Despite the spring that gave De Aar its name the town had insufficient water until 1936 when the municipality decided to purchase the village, Burgerville situated 34km away. 54 bore holes surrounding the town provides sufficient water for De Aar.
De Aar is the second-most important railway junction in the country, with 110km of railway lines including 29 rail-tracks. De Aar boasts a weather station gathering climatic data which has literally put De Aar on the world map. De Aar has an average yearly rainfall of 300mm with the lowest minimum temperature of -10 ºC, the highest maximum temperature of 40.7 ºC, an average summer temperature of 24 ºC and an average winter temperature of 14 ºC. De Aar is situated at 1280 m above sea level and has an average humidity of 43%. As a declared industrial growth point, with ample, very reasonably priced industrial sites, affordable labour and the necessary infrastructure, De Aar is the ideal place to establish an industry in the Northern Cape. Various major industries have already taken advantage of De Aar's central location and excellent rail and road links to establish themselves here. De Aar is also a primary commercial distribution centre for a large area of the central Great Karoo. Major production activities of the area include wool production and livestock farming. The area is also popular for hunting, despite the fact that the region is rather arid. De Aar is increasingly becoming the center for supplying the whole country with the famous "Karoo" mutton, so highly prized for its unique flavour and quality. There are ancient Khoisan rock engravings on the Nooitgedacht and Brandfontein farms. There is also the "Garden of Remembrance", which honours the British troops killed in the Anglo-Boer War.
