The beauty of Graaff-Reinet

Bishop Griffiths found Graaff-Reinet a beautiful town with neat houses, all white-washed and thatched. “They are seldom more than one storey. The streets are planted at each side with lemon and orange trees. Water for irrigation purposes is conveyed to these by cart. The whole town is surrounded by mountains. It is quite an oasis in the desert. You’d never imagine such a neat town could exist in such a lonely and desolated spot.” Before leaving Graaff-Reient en route to Beaufort West and Cape Town, he was given an ostrich egg, some ostrich feathers and eight pieces of “bill tongue” (biltong) for the journey.

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