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Kamieskroon: 17˚55’ E; 30˚13’S

Kamieskroon is on the N7 route between Cape Town and Windhoek (Namibia). It is 500km north of Cape Town, 67 km South of Springbok and 1000km from Windhoek. The town’s name is derived from the Nama word “tkimmie’ which means “to gather”. Another meaning attributed to the name is water rich, referring to the Kamiesberge (Kamies Mountains). The town is surrounded by 3 distinct peaks – Kardou (referred  to as the crown),  Sneeukop (where one can sometimes see snow in winter and Boesmankop (sleeping Bushman)

The area has an average rainfall of 285mm (winter), but it can be as little as 110mm or as much as 540mm per year. Temperatures vary from very hot summers (up to 40˚C) to cold winters (seldom below zero with snow on the mountain peaks for short periods. Leliefontein (altitude 1350m),   south east of Kamieskroon,  is the highest inhabited village in the Kamiesberg mountain range.

There are four distinct regions in Namaqualand

1. the Sandveld – sandy lowveld towards the coast,
2. the Hardeveld with its rocky out croppings around Kamieskroon, including the Kamiesberge,
3. Bushmanland – desert grasslands and
4. Richtersveld, mountain desert north west of Kamieskroon.

History

At the foot of the Kamiesberge (mountain range), surrounded by granite rock formations, lies the little town of Kamieskroon, founded in 1922.

The town actually started in 1850, eight km north of the present town when the Dutch Reformed Church decided to start its own congregation away from the main centre in Clanwilliam.

Four farmers bought a piece of the farm Wilgenhoutskloof for £140 and donated it to the church. It was situated at the western foot of Sneeukop in a narrow valley. Mr C van Nieuwkerk started to built the church in 1861 and the 32m long, 11m wide and 5.6m high building was completed in 1864 at the cost of £2300.

The town was named Bowesville  after Dr Henry Bowe, who was the district surgeon of  Namaqualand during that time. The name was later changed to Bowesdorp.

Too little water, too little space for development, a church badly in need of expensive repair work and the importance of the nearby developing Springbok  forced the town fathers to find a place somewhere else. A section of the farm Koets, eight km south of Bowesdorp, was bought by the church from the widow Charlotte van Wyk. The church elders prohibited the sale and manufacturing of liquor on any of the premises in the new town of Kamiesberg. The church was taken into use on 27^th July 1924 and the town was established.

The school, post office, police station and stores soon followed to the new established town of Kamiesberg, later renamed Kamieskroon. That meant the end of the town of Bowesdorp. The ruins of the old church can still be seen at  Bowesdorp.

Namaqualand is a lovely region to visit throughout  the year, although it is best known for the wildflower displays in spring. These may start as early as mid July and end as late as November. The duration of the display depends on the rainfall, temperatures and winds. The best time to visit is usually from mid August to mid September, but no two years are the same.

What to see:

Namaqua National Park: The Skilpad wildflower reserve is now part of the 146 000 hectare National Park. This unique area which  is partly in the sandveld and partly in the hardeveld  offers to the visitor beautiful scenery, animals, insects, reptiles and many plant species. The park is 21km from Kamieskroon and is open throughout the year.  There is also a coastal section of the park with campsites. It offers many opportunities for photographers with beautiful beaches, white dunes, huge breakers, interesting rock formations,  a seal colony and stunning flowers in spring. During summer it is a favourite for many families to camp.

Bowesdorp:  The ruins of the first Dutch Reformed Church in Namaqualand can be seen from the N7., 8km north of Kamieskroon.

Leliefontein, Nourivier and Rooifontein  are among several small villages in the general vicinity of of Kamieskroon. Leliefontein is 30km south east of Kamieskroon and can be reached via picturesque mountain passes. The Methodist Church and Parsonage are National Monuments.  In Leliefontein and Nourivier you can find traditional reeds huts (matjieshuise) and some people still use the traditional ways to plant , harvest, make bread (outside oven) and reed mats.

Coast: You may drive from Kamieskroon (in the hardeveld) down the Grootvlei and Killian passes to the sandveld and continue to the coastal village of Hondeklipbaai which has an old shipwreck on the rocks and spectacular breakers behind the village.

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