Riversdale, Western Cape
Encyclopedia
Riversdale is a town located on the N2
highway between Cape Town
and George
on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape
province of South Africa
. It is an agricultural service orientated town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller towns, and coastal resorts, like Witsand
and Stilbaai
. It is located beneath the imposing Langeberg
Mountains to the north, with Sleeping Beauty Mountain overlooking the town.
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 the westernmost point in the Garden Route
region.
N2 (South Africa)
The N2 is a National Route in South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. The N2 starts in Cape Town in the Western Cape and runs through the cities of Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal to end at Ermelo in...
highway between Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and George
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is an agricultural service orientated town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller towns, and coastal resorts, like Witsand
Witsand
Witsand is a small coastal town at the mouth of the Breede River in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is widely considered to be the whale nursery of the South African coastline. It also has a kitesurfing hotspot compliments of the summer South-Easter....
and Stilbaai
Stilbaai
Stilbaai, also known as the Bay of Sleeping Beauty, is a town along the southern coast of South Africa about four hours by car from Cape Town. It is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape province...
. It is located beneath the imposing Langeberg
Langeberg
The Langeberg Mountain Range is a mountain range situated in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The range runs in a generally east-west direction and is approximately 170 km long. The Langeberg's most westerly point is located 35 km west of the town of Swellendam; the range ends some 30 km...
Mountains to the north, with Sleeping Beauty Mountain overlooking the town.
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
Swellendam
Swellendam is the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa, a town with 28,072 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 National monuments most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture....
. It was proclaimed a town on 30 August 1838. Riverdale is the seat of the Hessequa Local Municipality
Hessequa Local Municipality
Hessequa Local Municipality is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is flanked by the lower Breede River to the west and the Gourits River to the east....
. It is also the westernmost point in the Garden Route
Garden Route
The Garden Route is a popular stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. It stretches from Heidelberg in the Western Cape to the Storms River which is crossed along the N2 coastal highway over the Paul Sauer Bridge in the extreme western reach of the neighbouring Eastern Cape...
region.
See also
- South African Class 7E 4-8-0South African Class 7E 4-8-0In 1899 the New Cape Central Railway placed one Cape Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotive in service. Another three were commissioned in 1900, two more in 1903 and another one in 1904...
- South African Class 7F 4-8-0South African Class 7F 4-8-0In 1913 the New Cape Central Railway placed three Cape Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. In 1925, when the New Cape Central Railway was amalgamated into the South African Railways, these three locomotives were renumbered and reclassified to Class 7F.-New Cape Central Railway:The...