There's something about White River

White River is on a hill between Mbombela and Hazyview. You're a bateleur swoop from the Kruger Park, the Panorama Route and the Sudwala Caves, but why rush through? Come see what the town has to offer.

- GRANT CHRISTIE

"Do you like cars?" a voice says behind me. I was busy photographing the inconspicuous entrance to White River's Motor Museum; now I lower my camera and turn around.

"It's much better inside," the man says, gesturing for me to follow him.

Louis van der Merwe grew up in the area and says he works with the nearby Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre. He ushers me into a double-storey warehouse where motorcycles line the gangways and motorcars cover the floor. It's far grander than the entrance might suggest. And there are some fancy names in the mix: Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey, Essex Terraplane, Lambretta... Some cars are owned by Louis himself, but many are on loan from friends and collectors.

With my engines revved, Louis leads me to the tourism information office. Along the way, he talks about the Casterbridge Music Development Academy, an NPO that provides free music education to White River's youth. Started in 2010 by Paul Bruce-Brand and Mike Matthews (a cousin of Dave Matthews), they offer after-school programmes in four locations around town.

"We have a rehearsal room for individual lessons," he says. "The singer Majozi recently hosted a workshop here."

We walk through Casterbridge. Everyone we pass greets Louis fondly. I soon realise he doesn't just "work with" the centre - he owns it.

Since purchasing the land in 1997, he's turned it into the place to be in White River. The centre is home to some of the town's best restaurants, a few antique stores, clothing retailers and curio shops, a bookstore, an art gallery, a gin distillery, a coffee roastery, a boutique hotel and even a cinema.

Casterbridge keeps me busy all afternoon. And since it's Taco Tuesday at Picasso's Mexican Taqueria, I sommer spend the evening there, too. The place is buzzing. I soak it up, slowly sipping a frozen margarita. White River's got a vibe.