Barrydale is a tranquil village of homes with expansive gardens at the bottom of the Tradouw Pass. Enclosed in a narrow valley at the foot of the Langeberg mountains, Barrydale exudes a timeless country charm.

Malgas (formerly Malagaskraal) is a tiny village that was built around an inland port.

Before the roads between Swellendam and Cape Town were properly developed freight was shipped on a "coaster" from Malgas.

The Pont

Suurbraak is a mission village situated in the fold of the Langeberg mountains, alongside the Buffeljags and about 5 km from the magnificent Tradouw Pass that leads to Barrydale.

Swellendam nestles in a valley through which the Koornlands River comes tumbling down from the Langeberg. It is flanked by the Marloth Nature Reserve and the Bontebok National Park and is considered to be the Historical Heart of the Overberg.

© Mallix

Swellendam was the last settlement through which travellers passed on their way eastwards from the Cape. Swellendam is the third oldest settlement in South Africa. The people who settled here obviously found the area as attractive as the Hessekwa Hottentots had before them. With its teeming game it had provided a valuable hunting ground to the Hottentots and to the white men it offered prosperous farming land.

Port Beaufort and Witsand lie at the mouth of the Breede River on the western side of St Sebastian Bay.

© Julie Morris