Loeriesfontein

Loeriesfontein is Afrikaans for Loeries Fountain. Loerie is a bird (Turacu corythaix). Or, it might have been named after a travelling Jewish salesman with the surname Luri.

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

There are Khoi-San settlements in the area that can be visited.

Quiver Tree Forest

There is a quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma) forest that can be viewed. These trees grow up to 4m high.

Horse-mill

A working horse-mill is operated 25Km from town at Rheboksfontein.

Windmill Museum

There is a museum is dedicated to windmills - 27 can be seen. The idea of such an exhibition came from Dr Walton, a conservationist.

Fred Turner Museum

The Fred Turner Museum exhibits cultural artefacts of the nomadic farmers of earlier years. There are more than 1000 items on display.

Salt pans

Towards the interior in the direction of Brandvlei, are very large salt pans, such as Verneukpan where Malcolm Campbell attempted the world land speed record in 1929 - see Brandvlei.

Bird watching

Some 80 bird species have been identified.

History

In 1894 Fredrick Turner, a travelling bible salesman, set up a general store. He was a nephew of Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), a fundamentalist preacher of the British Reformed Baptist in Cambridge. The shop, now called Turner & Haupt SPAR, has been in the same family for more than 110 years.

Loeriesfontein became a municipality in 1958.

Economy

Farming: Wool Mining: salt

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