Hopetown

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Hopetown
including 
Belmont & Witput

Location Hopetown: On the N12, 77km north of Britstown

Region: Karoo

Nearby towns: Douglas, Modder River, Kimberley, Strydenburg, Orania, Prieska

The old bridge west of Hopetown dates back to 1875. 

 On 18 February 1854 a town was laid out with a Dutch Reformed Church - a rough frontier-type building made of mud and manure. The origin of the name Hopetown is odd. It is said the widow of the first owner of the farm, De Kalk, wore a small anchor. 


A servant was told it represented hope and made an imitation from tin which was nailed to the farm entrance. In 1866 a diamond, ‘Eureka’, was found and, in 1868, on the farm Zandfontein, the 83,5 carat ‘Star of South Africa’ diamond was discovered. Today, Hopetown is a farming town.

Location Hopetown: 

Accommodation  Hopetown

 Explore Hopetown

 33 Church Street 
A cutting mark from the ‘Star of South Africa’ was made on a window here to test its authenticity.
 Battle of Belmont 
Memorials and information panels are part of the N12 Battlefield Route.
 Blockhouse
At Orange River Station.
Concentration Camp Cemetery 
On the Kromhout Landgoed, Doornbult.
 Convict Stone 
For lack of a holding cell in the old magistrate’s building, convicts were secured to this stone.
 Old Wagon Bridge
Predates the Anglo-Boer War, when one span was dropped and subsequently restored.
 Sport & Adventure 
Abseiling, angling, bird-watching, game-viewing, hiking, 4x4 driving, white water rafting and many more.