R709

In 1910 a need arose for the farmers to have a town that was closer to them than Winburg and Ladybrand so they formed the small town of Excelsior. In deciding on which farm the town will be established, they chose the one called Excelsior (in Latin meaning higher up) due to it's location. The first church were erected in the vicinity of where the Farmers Co-op is situated today, while a new sand stone building was built. Excelsior in the late 1960's early 1970's was in the news for the Apartheid's legislation, a better understanding on what happened between white males and black females can be read in the book 'Madonna of Excelsior'. In all small towns ghost stories were very popular and Piet Bok's house had rumours of ghosts and demons as the owner had shot himself there. The…

Hobhouse is small town situated on the southernmost tip of the Free State, close to the Caledon River near the Lesotho border and 56 km south of Ladybrand. This tiny agricultural hamlet of Hobhouse is more of a curiosity, rather than a tourist destination, on the R26 Maloti  Route between Ladybrand and Wepener, a route taken for the rural and mountain scenery of this part of South Africa. There is however, an interesting archaeological site on the Lemoenhoeks farm and San rock art can be found in many caves around the Caledon river. Other points of interest are the miniature Church built in 1938 to commemorate the great trek centenary and a collection of more than 600 dolls dating back to…

Winburg was the first town to be established in the Free State by the Voortrekkers. In 1835, in exchange for 42 head of cattle, Andries Hendrik Potgieter purchased rights from the local tribal chief to the area between the Vet and Vaal rivers. A town was necessary as a centre for the area and after some dispute a site was selected and named Winburg - meaning 'victory town' - because the owner had won a battle in persuading others to accept the site. The town was founded in 1841 on the farm Waaifontein. It became the capital of the unofficial Boer state, but by the time it had become a municipality in 1872, Bloemfontein had taken over as the capital city. Winburg is a classic example of a…