- Northern Cape
- De Aar
De Aar, Northern Cape
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De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa and, after Germiston, it is the second largest railway junction in the country.
The town plays a major part in the transport system of Southern Africa. The lines from the Western and Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Namibia met here and within the precincts of the town are 110 km of track. Crack passenger trains, the Blue Train, Trans-Karoo, Orange Express and the Drakensberg, stopped here to change crews.
De Aar is no holiday resort, but excellent examples of Khoisan Rock Art can be viewed at the Nooigedacht, Brandfontein and Damfontein Farms just outside of the town. Another great find and also worth a visit is the former home of Olive Schreiner, the famous South African author and feminist who wrote "Women and Labour".
The N12 Battlefields Route highlights the best marked and most accessible of the battlefields in the area and De Aar has its own Garden of Remembrance commemorating the British soldiers who died during the Angle-Boer War.
De Aar and the surrounding areas offer a variety of B&B’s, Guesthouses, Hunting Lodges and self-catering cottages.
Things to do and see
- Olive Schreiner House
- De Aar Solar Farm
- Karoo Gariep Conservancy
- Brandfontein Farm
- Nooigedacht Farm
- Garden of Remembrance
Climate
De Aar receives approximately 297 mm of rain annually with most of its annual rainfall during summer.
Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 16˚C and 33˚C.
Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between -1˚C and 18˚C.
Transport
There are daily flights into Kimberley Airport, approximately 303 km away via the N12, Car hire facilities are available at the Airport.
History
Because De Aar is centrally located, the government chose this location as a junction for the first railway line from Cape Town to Kimberley in 1881. The junction was of very strategic importance for the English during the Second Boer War.
In 1889 the two brothers, Issac and Wolf Friedlander, who ran a trading store and hotel at the junction bought the De Aar farm. After the Anglo-Boer War the brothers appraised the farm for the establishment of a town and the municipality was created a year later. The first mayor, Dr Harry Baker was elected in 1907.
De Aar is a Dutch word meaning “artery” and it takes its name from an underground watercourse in the area.
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