Barkly East

Name

Barkly East is named after Sir Henry Barkly (1815-1898), Governor of the Cape Colony (1870-1877).

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

Barkly East is a small village with a population of less than 10'000 and located in the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg on the banks of the Cacadu River which joins the Gariep (orange) River at Aliwal North. The village is one of the highest in South Africa, at 1777m above sea level.

Its immediate neighbors are the small settlements of Moshesh's Ford and Rhodes 60Km to the northeast, New England to the west, and the towns Dordrecht 90Km to the southwest, and Elliot 65Km to the southeast.

Barkly East museum

The Barkly East museum exhibits the cultural history of the town.

San rock paintings

San (Bushman) rock paintings can be seen in the area.

Things to do

Patridge hunting and horse riding are available to do.

Bird watching

230 bird species have been recorded in the area.

Fishing

Barkly East is a centre for trout fising. Besides trout, yellow fish is abundant in the municipal dam.

Sport

Golf course (9 holes), squash, tennis, bowls, 4x4 routes, mountain biking, hiking trails.

Events

The 6th South African National Rally Championships (the 2008 Osram Rally) was held around Barkly East.

Tiffindell Ski Resort

The Tiffindell Ski Resort is just under 80Km from Barkly East. The resort, at an elevation of 2720m above sea level, lies on the slop of Ben McDhui mountain peak (3001m). They claim they have the highest bar in the country, the Ice Station at 2720m, but this is more than 150m lower than the bar at Sani Pass, which is at 2874m.

The resort has a snow making machine to ensure a minimum of 100 days of snow per year.

History

The town was established in 1874 when a portion of a farm called Rockypark was bought and a Dutch Reformed Church built.

The town was named after Sir Henry Barkly (1815-1898), Governor of the Cape Colony (1870-1877). Prior to that positition, he was also Governor of British Guiana in 1849, Governor of Jamaica (1853-1856), Governor of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia: 1856-1863), Governor of Mauritius (1863-1870).

Sir Henry Barkly (1815-1898).

Barkly East became a municipality in 1881. In 1886 a newspaper, the Barkly East Reporter, was published.

Climate

Today's Weather report for Barkly East

More than a third of nights per year, on average 93 nights, drop below 0°C (i.e. freezing point) in Barkly East. Snow falls every winter.

Economy

Barkly East is a centre for the farming communities around it, who produce wool, maize, wheat and potatoes.

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