Calitzdorp is a town on the Western side of the Little or Klein
Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...
in the
Western Cape Province of
South Africa and lies on South Africa's
Route 62
The following highways are numbered 62:
Australia
* Kennedy Developmental Road - Queensland State Route 62
Canada
* Alberta Highway 62
* British Columbia Highway 62
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 62
* Highway 62 (Ontario)
* Winnipeg Route 62 ...
.
The farm Buffelsvallei, on which Calitzdorp stands, was granted to Jacobus Johannes and Matthys Christiaan Calitz in 1831. The brothers donated part of their farm for the establishment of a church in 1853 and in 1858 the church started the sale of plots to church members. In 1924 a railway line was opened, in 1937 electrification and a new cement road to Oudtshoorn was completed.
The Swartberg (in the North), Rooiberge (to the South) and the Mountains of the Huisrivier Pass (to the West) surrounds Calitzdorp's challenging landscape with floods, droughts and
extreme weather, from very hot to snow clad mountaintops in the winter.
Summers are very hot during the day, mainly a dry heat, up to 40 °C. Wind from the sea every afternoon allows for moderate, cool evenings. Winters have sunny days, very cold nights with occasional frost and snow often falling on the surrounding Swartberg Mountain Range. Rainfall is approximately 200 mm per year, often with the changing of seasons. Prevailing winds are mainly from the south in summer and hot wind from the North in August.
Calitzdorp is a haven for enthusiasts of fishing, bird-watching, 4×4 and other scenic routes, horse-riding and
wine tasting.
Calitzdorp is renowned as a centre of the port wine industry in South Africa with several major wine estates famous for their award-winning products. A Port festival takes place in the town in mid-June each year.
References
External links
Dehandelshuis Beauty Salon & Coffee Bar, CalitzdorpCalitzdorp InfoCalitzdorp Tourism BureauRoute 62Rose of the Karoo* http://roseofthekaroo/wp/
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Populated places in the Kannaland Local Municipality
Hot springs of South Africa