Towns and suburbs

Oudtshoorn

Oudtshoorn is a town in the Little Karoo region of the Western Cape. This page provides information on its location, history, surrounding areas, key attractions and transport access.

Oudtshoorn

  • Province: Western Cape
  • Klein Karoo
  • Coordinates:33°35′S 22°12′E
  • Area: 37.6 km2
  • Municipality: Oudtshoorn

Oudtshoorn is a town in the Little Karoo of the Western Cape, situated about 420 km east of Cape Town and 60 km north of George. It lies along the N12 and near the Swartberg Mountains, making it a gateway to the Cango Caves and surrounding ostrich farms. The town forms part of the Oudtshoorn municipal area and offers access to schools, healthcare, transport routes, and regional attractions in the Little Karoo.

History of Oudtshoorn

Klein Karoo farming town

The first Europeans in the little Karroo were a party of traders led by Ensign Shrijver. They were shown the Elephant trail in 1689 by a Griqua guide, but the area was only settled about 100 years later.
Farmers settled in the Oudtshoorn area in the 1750s, and farming was well established there by the end of the century. Produce consisted of livestock, wheat, barley, tobacco, and some fruit. By the 1830s, subsistence farming in the area had become a successful market economy, which laid a foundation for more development.

The church as the centre of social life

A Dutch Reformed Church in the area, on a part of the farm Hartebeesrivier belonging to Cornelis P. Rademeyer, became the centre of social and congregational life for the next 40 years. By 1847, CP Rademeyer requested permission from the Cape Government to build a town on his farm. 500 residential stands were measured out. This town was originally called Velskoendorp. It was subsequently named after Baron Pieter van Rheede van Oudtshoorn, who was appointed as Governor of the Cape colony by the Dutch East India Company, but unfortunately, he died aboard ship in 1772 before he ever got to Cape Town.

A stopover between the mountains.

This town was originally founded due to the need for a central service area between the Swartberg and the Outeniqua mountains. Previously, the area fell under the Swellendam authority. By 1855, the area had grown so substantially that Colonel A.B. Armstrong was sent to be the first resident magistrate. Oudtshoorn was proclaimed as a magisterial district in 1858. That year, some British settlers arrived in the area as well. The Dutch Reformed Church in Oudtshoorn was established in 1853. The feather industry also attracted a large Jewish community to Oudtshoorn. At the peak of the boom, there were at least 300 Jewish families in Oudtshoorn

Water availability controls development.

The growth of the settlement was limited only by the supply of water. Many irrigation innovations stem from water scarcity. The first necessary barrels of water were delivered for sixpence a barrel.
The year 1859 brought an extended period of drought, broken only in 1869 by floods, when it became possible for farmers to become prosperous again. Ostriches were introduced against competition mostly from California.

Farmers realised the way to dominate the industry was to improve the stock and develop the best quality feathers. Many fortunes were made and lost in the feather industry. Farmers became rich sometimes overnight. The remnants of this rather fickle industry can be seen in the large fantasias locally known as feather palaces. Some of these buildings can still be seen in the older parts of town. The feather industry suffered at the whims of fashion and the effects of the First World War. With the new austerity, feathers were no longer fashionable. Oudtshoorn today still dominates the Ostrich industry and is a thriving Karoo town

The postcodes in Oudtshoorn are 6625(Streets) and 6620 (Boxes). The licence plate prefix is CG

https://www.oudtshoorninfo.com/.

WEATHER IN OUDTSHOORN TODAY

Browse businesses and places to visit in OUDTSHOORN

 

Things to do and see in Oudtshoorn

Resources

Practical information for the Western Cape, Regulations, permits and helpful tips. See the Colourdots coastal and nature use guide

Useful Numbers in Oudtshoorn

Residents and visitors can find important local contact numbers below, including police, medical services, utilities, and community facilities in and around

  • Emergency Services

  • Police: 044 203 9014
  • Fire: 044 203 3000
  • Ambulance: 10177 044 272 2526

  • Medical

  • Closest state hospital: 044 203 7317.
  • Klein Karoo Mediclinic: 044 272 0111
  • Bongolethu clinic 044 274 0929
  • Pharmacy; Watson and Brink. 044 272 2184

  • Municipal & Utilities

  • Municipality:044 203 3000
  • Water: 044 203 3000
  • Electricity:044 203 3000

  • Transport & Roads

  • Traffic department: 044 203 3910

  • Community & Safety

  • NSRI 087 094 9774
  • SPCA: 044 279 1850

  • Local Contacts and Community Resources 

  • Home affairs: 044 203 7700 / 7701
  • Post office; 044 279 1777
  • Library: 044 203 3928
  • Schoemanspoort Cultural Centre: (044) 279 1766
  • Local newspaper: Oudtshoorn Courant 044 272 8918
  • Museum; CP Nel museum 044 272 7306
  • CJ Langenhovenmuseum 044 272 2968
  • Tourism -044 279 2532

  • Schools in Oudtshoorn

  • Oudshoorn high: 044 279 1623
  • Van Reede Primary School 044 272 2845
  • Langenhoven Gimnasium 044 272 2151

Interesting small towns in the Oudtshoorn district include Dysseldorp; De Rust and Volmoed

 

  • Colourdots is an independent regional information resource for the Western Cape.
    Learn more about the project HERE

 

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors