Riversdale, South Africa
The Old Jail dates back to the 1800s, and is one of the most visited tourist facilities in town. The Bali Trading Complex is arguably one of the most visited facilities along all of the N2.
The Riversdal Landbouskou (agricultural show) is a popular agricultural festival, taking place annually in February. Riversdale as a popular tourist town, has many coffee shops, restaurants, accommodation facilities and traveller experiences like wineries, horse riding and fishing at the Korentepoort Dam Resort.
History
The town was founded as a church on the farm, Doornkraal, and was subsequently named after Harry Rivers, the then incumbent Civil Commissioner of Swellendam. It was proclaimed a town on 30 August 1838. Riverdale is the seat of the Hessequa Local Municipality. It is also sometimes considered the westernmost point in the Garden Route region.
Notable residents
- Willem Botha, singer
- Dyan Buis, Paralympic athlete
- Dalene Matthee (13 October 1938 – 20 February 2005), writer who matriculated here at Hoërskool Langenhoven
- Dr Cecil Moss, Springbok rugby player and coach
- Jack Simons, academic and anti-apartheid activist
- Jan Ernst Abraham Volschenk (20 August 1853 Riversdale – 22 January 1936 Riversdale), painter noted for his majestic landscapes of the Langeberg Range in the Western Cape Province
- Vera Volschenk (1899-1987), painter born in 1899; eldest of nine daughters of Jan Ernst Abraham Volschenk
See also
References
- ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
- ^ "Ward Councillors - Ward 7".
- ^ "Main Place Riversdale". Census 2011.
- ^ "Biography of Vera Volschenk - BLOUIN ARTINFO, the Premier Global Online Destination for Art and Culture | BLOUIN ARTINFO". Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2016-08-17.