Kimberley - Beaufort West (545km)
(Stage 35)
South Africa - arriving from Kimberley
at Beaufort West in the Western Cape Province on 29th June
2004
Rallye
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The cars leave Kimberley
travelling south-west following the railway line across
the Oranje river to Hopetown, Britstown, Victoria West
to Beaufort West, which is on the edge of the Great Karoo. |
| This town in the north-east of
the Western Cape in the heart of the Great Karoo, was founded
in 1818 by the Governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset,
to establish and maintain order in the hinterland. He named
the town after his father, the fifth Duke of Beaufort. Beaufort West gets its main income
from providing for the surrounding farms. It is a major
traffic junction where two main highways the Cape Town
- Johannesburg road and the Garden Route road meet. As
a result, there are many hotels in the main street.
The town has a number of interesting
historical buildings. The Stadshuis is an old town hall
from 1867. Today the house is a museum, predominantly dedicated
to the Beaufort West's most famous son, Professor Chris
Barnard. There are many items illustrating the history
of the Barnard family and the world's first heart transplantation.
The Karoo National Park, 10 kilometres
outside of town, is the tourist highlight of Beaufort West.
This nature and game park protects 80.000 hectares of Karoo
landscape with its original vegetation and wildlife. For
the walker, hiking trails lead through the park, or drivers
can take their cars for safari drives. The Fossil Path
is one of the richest stone-age sites in the world. |
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