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10
Scenes from the Drakensberg’s Vulture Trail.
We were on high alert for ghosts – after
all, Matjiesfontein is reputed to be the most
haunted place in South Africa
10. EXPLORE MATJIESFONTEIN’S HAUNTS
“There! What’s that, in the window?”
The hysterical edge to our friend Caroline’s voice
stopped us mid-step. We hurried over to where she
stood, transfixed by her camera screen. She zoomed
in, and we saw it too: a bright flare with a distinctly
human shape.
We were on high alert for ghosts – after all, the
National Heritage site of Matjiesfontein is reputed to
be the most haunted place in South Africa. There’s
Lucy, who is fond of a negligee and floats along
passages, and Kate, who shuffles cards in the dead of
night. Legend has it that she was a nurse who played
cards with her patients and died, mysteriously, of
course, at the age of 19. And let’s not forget the Lady in
White who haunts the garden, rattling doorknobs and
whooshing through people.
Hauntings aside, Matjiesfontein is historic in every
sense. A single road lined with quaint houses leads
into town, and there it ends. Signs creak in the wind.
A warehouse stands full of antique cars and the dark
shapes of retired trains loom in the shed. Marie
Rawdon’s museum brims with curiosities and, inside
The Laird’s Arms pub, local resident Johnny taps out
jaunty tunes on a 100-year-old piano. Outside, along the
riverbed, tall gum trees whisper in the moonlight, their
leaves brushing one another in ghostly conversation.
Matjiesfontein ensemble.
THE DETAILS: The Forgotten Route, offered by
Wine Flies, a Cape Town-based tour company, is
one of the best ways to experience Matjiesfontein.
The two-day trip includes a train ride to
Matjiesfontein; a tour; overnight accommodation;
wine, biltong, olive and brandy tastings; and a
scenic roadtrip back to Cape Town via Montagu.
Rates start from R1 950 per person.
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 45