RIETBRON Wellspring of life

There's never been an abundance of people and businesses in Rietbron. But what you will find in abundance, aside from water, in this little town located in Die Vlak in the Great Karoo is blissful tranquillity. Just walk its dusty streets and you'll feel it...

- VAN DER BERG

If you've ever driven along the endless, flat stretch between Willowmore and Aberdeen, you would have spotted two invitations to turn off to Rietbron: two dirt roads that head west and disappear into the dusty horizon as if they have no destination. Which is why most people just keep on driving.

But if you do choose to take one, you'll arrive at the living waters of Rietbron, a small oasis in an area of the Great Karoo known as Die Vlak.

There are few things taller here than the shrubs and white-quilled bustards. Trees are scattered sparsely in the colourless expanse. Which means you'll spot Rietbron's splash of bluegums and pines from many kilometres away. The tower of the NG Church beckons like a distant lighthouse. On its spire, a little springbok leaps into the westerly wind, commemorating the huge herds that once roamed this part of the world and came to drink at the spring.

Rietbron has never been a town bustling with people and businesses, but it appears as if the little bit of life that was once here has dwindled significantly. The primary school and hostel closed a few years ago, an empty shop and fuel pumps serve as reminders of slightly better days, and several houses are crumbling. Yet what remains behind is neat and tidy, and you're filled with a sense of tranquility as you walk the dusty streets.