Suurbraak at the foot of the Tradouw Pass

By Roxanne Reid
Think giant oaks and the burble of water in little streams; historical 19th century buildings and bright little houses in a ribbon along the roadside, yellow and purple  shining in the sunlight. This is Suurbraak at the foot of the Tradouw Pass, only 10km off the N2 but 100 years away in time.

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You’ll find Suurbraak between Swellendam in the Overberg and Barrydale in the Karoo. It started life as a mission station for the London Mission Society in 1812 on the invitation of Hans Moos, the Attaqua Khoi leader at the time. Together with Mamre and Genandendal, it’s one of the oldest mission stations in the country. In 1875 it was taken over by the Algemeende Sending Kerk and in 1880 the congregation split, and an Anglican Church was built.

The first church, parsonage and school, as well as some of the old houses around the village square have been restored. Although there’s a bakery, restaurant and info centre in this historical quarter, just about everything was closed the day we visited, even though the sign at the info centre said it was open from 9-2 on Saturdays and we’d phoned ahead to confirm that. If it’s open, you can apparently arrange for a local guide to show you around the village or take you hiking in the mountains.

The church with the thatched gable is the oldest but by no means the only church in Suurbraak

Instead we chatted to two old gents sitting on the grass near the church. Our talk ranged from politics and elections to gardening and history, and the younger of the two was eager to share why although he’d lived in Cape Town for many years, he felt happy that he’d returned to his roots.

We dropped in at Paradise Organic, which is sourcing fresh fruit and veg from locals, but they had nothing in stock to buy. They also serve light meals or coffee and the friendly owner, Greg Gill, told us he plans to get a cheese-making project going too.

Paradise Organic aims to see Suurbraak locals supplying organic produce as a way of making ends meet

Other places of interest include the Suurbraak Skrynwerkers co-op where craftsmen make Van Gogh-style chairs by hand from canary pine with woven seats, using unseasoned wood to make the chair legs and other cylindrical parts (known as bodging). Xairu makes rustic furniture from alien saplings, as well as handmade items like brooms, painted tiles and fabrics. Xairu means ‘paradise’ in the Khoi language.

Stop at Xairu to buy a piece of rustic garden furniture to remind you of Suurbraak once you're home

But for us, it was the houses that were the most interesting, each with its own character. It’s clearly not a place where people have much money to spare, but they do the best they can to add some colour to their lives with paint or garden flowers. Expensive modern technology isn’t common and many people still cook on wood stoves. We saw a man leading two horses in harness up the main road, on his way to plough a field near the river.

Suurbraak residents may not be wealthy, but they use flowers and paint to brighten up their homes

From Suurbraak a drive up Tradouw’s Pass takes you to Barrydale. The pass is scenic, winding through the ravine created by the Tradouw River, the steep slopes on either side covered in fynbos. Here and there are places to pull over and drink in the view or find a hidden waterfall. Stop at the parking area on the left just after the Drupkelder, a small cave. This is the highest point of the 315m pass, where you can look down into the dark river. 

Stop at the cutaways to enjoy views over the river and valley below and see a small cave near the top

The pass was built by the brilliant road engineer Thomas Bain (who also built the Swartberg Pass near Prince Albert, among others). Although part of the pass was rebuilt in 1979, you can still see lots of the old stone work. Bain arrived in 1869 and lived at Lismore Farm just outside Suurbraak. Two convict stations were built to house the labourers and rocks were shattered with gunpowder charges. The first 4km took a whole year to build and the pass finally opened in 1873.

There are some imposing rock formations along the Tradouw Pass

If you’re not staying in Swellendam or Barrydale when you visit Suurbraak and Tradouw Pass, there are a few places to stay in Suurbraak itself. These include River Dance Cottage, the Green Fig Guesthouse and Lismore Cottage on a farm just outside the village.

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