The Great Brak River

The mouth of the Great Brak River runs past the town of the same name. The main tributaries of the river are the Perdeberg River and the Varings River. The Wolwedans Dam is the only dam on the river.

The River rises in the Komsberg Escarpment of the Great Karoo, about 40 km south of Sutherland in the Northern Cape, where it is known as the Komsberg. As it meanders in a Southeasterly direction, it becomes the Buffels River flowing towards Laingsberg. At this point, the river is dammed (Floriskraal dam). The river eventually becomes the Groot River at the confluence of the Klein River and the Swartberg River. 50 km further on, it meets the Touws River and flows past Van Wyksdorp, then on to meet the Gourits River. In 1734, the Great Brak River was proclaimed as the eastern boundary of the Western Cape.

Along the riverbank, you will find Eiland Beach, which has a large swimming area as well as another long stretch of beach

Groot Brak Ferry      Trails along the river 

• Bellair Dam, has a capacity of 10,100,000 cubic metres
• Miertjieskraal Dam has a full supply capacity of 1.4 million cubic metres (Mm3)
• Floriskraal dam