Big sky, blue water and mountains, and farmland next to the Gariep Dam

Farmer’s Weekly found the ideal midway stopover between Gauteng and the Western Cape or Eastern Cape if you travel in that direction, says Riaan Hattingh.

- Riaan Hattingh

Driekwartblou Guest House & Venue lies south of the Gariep Dam, with only a narrow part of the Oviston Nature Reserve separating the property from the dam. It is in the Eastern Cape between the towns of Gariep Dam and Venterstad. Owners Meyer and Carina van der Walt tell us that their farm is en route to "everywhere", and with the peace and quiet experienced there, this is the ideal guest house to recharge your batteries.

The venue is named Driekwartblou (translation from the Afrikaans threequarters blue) because three parts of the view guests have to the north is blue: the blue water from the dam, the blue mountains in the distance, and the blue sky. The fourth quarter is the land up to the edge of the dam.

The farmhouse was originally built in 1803, with extensions added over time, and the house close by, now turned into the Driekwartblou Guest House, was built shortly afterward. When the Gariep Dam, South Africa's largest dam, was built from 1965 to 1971, many properties affected were bought from the owners. Towards the end of the project, the land not covered by the dam and surrounding Oviston Nature Reserve were rezoned and resold.

In July 1970, Meyer van der Walt's father, Banie, purchased Schalkwykskraal, and in July 1988, Meyer and Carina took over the farming activities. Schalkwykskraal is still a working farm where now mainly cattle are bred.

ACCOMMODATION

Three units are available to guests on the farm. The cluster originally was a house and later used as a shed. In early 2013, the Van der Walts converted the shed into accommodation for guests.

Farmer's Weekly was allocated Unit One. It has one queen-sized bed and a single bed, and an en suite bathroom with a shower. A full kitchenette is available. A stoep with a view over the dam makes for great sundowners.