Beaufort West - Cape Town (470km) (Stage
36)
South Africa - arriving from Cape Town from Beaufort West on 14th July 2004
The final stage gets underway with the cars leaving Beaufort West to travel south west skirting the Great Karoo following the railway line to Worcester, Paarl and Cape Town. Cape Town Cape Town was founded in 1652 by Governor Jan van Riebeeck as a supply station on the Dutch East India Company's sea route to the East. In 1795 the British occupied the city. It was returned to the Dutch in 1803 but recaptured in 1806 by the British, who established Cape of Good Hope Colony with Cape Town as capital. When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, Cape Town became its legislative capital and Pretoria its administrative capital. Cape Town is a port on the Atlantic Ocean, it has a population of 900,000 and is the capital of Western Cape province. The city lies at the foot of Table Mountain and on the shore of Table Bay; Robben Island, a former political prison, is offshore. It is a commercial and industrial centre; oil refining, ship repairing, food, chemical, and fertilizer processing, and the manufacture of automobiles, leather and plastic goods, and clothing are the chief industries. A major port, exports include gold, diamonds and fruits. Cape Town is one of South Africa's premier travel destinations. Much of the former dock area is now a commercial and tourist waterfront area with museums, craft markets, and restaurants. Cape Town is home to the renowned Table Mountain, which is part of a nature reserve and wooden walkways and designated paths allow you to wander around without damaging the unique plant life. Here our rally ends.
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