First impressions of SUTHERLAND - Coldest town & astronomy capital of South Africa

Hi everyone! In this episode, I explore the iconic South African town of Sutherland, based in the semi-desert Great Karoo region and in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated c. 350km from Cape Town.

Sutherland is well known for two things - it is the coldest town in South Africa, and is the unofficial stargazing capital of the country. The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAOO) has a site near Sutherland - it is also where the South African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, is based.

The vlog stars with me and my family travelling from Loxton to Sutherland. We travel on endless gravel roads for several kilometres before arriving in Fraserburg, where we have a quick stop before getting on another gravel road towards Sutherland. I have never been to Sutherland before.

I arrive at our accommodation, Die Heks se Huis (or 'The Witch's House') and give a tour of the house as well as the exterior and garden. I then walk towards the Dutch Reformed Church and give more information about the town and its history. At the church, I meet the gardener (Gielie) who mentions to me that there is a phone number to call if I want to enter the church. I decide against it as it is already past four in the afternoon. Instead, I head to town to stroll around and form first impressions.

I walk down Piet Retief street, one of the main roads in Sutherland, and pass several commercial buildings. I also meet some locals who are barbequing ('braaing') on the pavements and notice the intentional astronomical names for several guesthouses and businesses. This is clearly stargazing country!

I also notice - rather bizarrely - a flag of Azerbaijan outside one of the businesses. This caught my immediate attention, as I visited Azerbaijan as part of my Caucasus adventure earlier this year. I also realise that several of the side roads are gravel and contain houses with beautiful orange flowers and corrugated iron roofs.

I enter a local clothes shop, just after loadshedding, and also talk with some people regarding the frustrating nature of this practice. I then stumble across an interesting building with several implements and other farm equipment surrounding it. Intrigued by this, I enter the premises and eventually realise this is a restaurant and a bar with a unique touch (called Boorgat). I speak to some of the staff members and meet a free spirited dog too!

After visiting the restaurant, I go to the Louw Huis ('Louw House'), which is where the famous South African poet, playwright and scholar N. P. van Wyk Louw was born and a famous museum. Unfortunately, the museum was closed. I then decide to explore more of the residential streets of the town to get an idea how people live.

I get back to town where I walk past the planetarium, the hotel and visit another local merchant. I then stroll back towards the Dutch Reformed Church and pass another local restaurant called The Blue Moon - another name inspired by astronomy, no doubt!

Before ending the vlog, I talk briefly about the medical achievements of Sutherland and other parts of the Karoo - a couple of world firsts!

Please LIKE this video and SUBSCRIBE to this channel - it is completely free to do so, doesn't cost you anything and it really helps me to grow the channel. I also appreciate any COMMENTS as it allows me to engage with my viewers and I'd love to hear what you thought of this video.

Please note that I have not been sponsored by anyone in the production of this video.

Happy exploring!

Willie