A great new Challenge from Wetanddustyroads
I am sure we all have lots of photos and memories
Photos from our first trip to Tulbagh in 2013
Tulbagh, named after Dutch Cape Colony Governor Ryk Tulbagh, is a town located in the “Land van Waveren” mountain basin, in the Winelands of the Western Cape, South Africa. The basin is fringed on three sides by mountains, and is drained by the Klein Berg River and its tributaries.

In September 1969 the Boland area was hit by an earthquake that caused considerable damage to the town of Tulbagh. Many of the Church Street buildings were destroyed. The extent of the damage was aptly described by the Journal Bulletin of the Simon van der Stel Foundation in 1973: “A street that somehow captured the essential spirit of a unique culture looked as if it was in the throes of a nightmare: many fine gables had either tumbled or were totally destroyed, whole sections of many houses had collapsed, most of the soft brick walls had burst open in wide cracks, plaster had been torn by off in large sheets, rafters and roofs had caved in. Everything appeared to be in total and irreparable ruin.”
After the disaster in Church Street, extensive projects of restoration began with the National Committee for the Restoration of Historic Buildings in Tulbagh and its Environment. Because of this work Tulbagh now contains possibly the largest number of Cape-Dutch, Edwardian and Victorian provincial heritage sites in one street in South Africa, and remains a major tourist attraction of the town to the present day. The work started by the committee has been continued to the present day by various residents of Tulbagh, but also significantly by the Tulbagh Valley Heritage Foundation, which aims to restore and maintain “all structures older than 60 years, the cultural landscape and undeveloped properties connected to the historical structures above”. Wikipedia






Interesting slice of history Aletta. I’m glad to see the place got rebuilt and preserved.
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Thank you very much Graham. Also glad they rebuilt it!
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Sometimes a shake up is what’s needed for long term prosperity. Must have been hard to deal with at the time though 🙂
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Must have been. I was in George about 380km away from it that year and we even felt that quake.
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Wow, shockwaves spread a lot then !
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Yes it did.
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Nou het jy weer lekker herinneringe van ons Desember vakansie by my laat opkom, Aletta. Jy’t miskien ons foto’s gesien van Tulbagh toe ons nou in Desember daar om gery het? Ons was dadelik verlief op die ou dorpie en sy gawe inwoners. Vir my persoonlike geskiedenis het die dorpie eintlik n groot rol gehad – n grootoupa aan vaderskant (de Wet) en moederskant (Boshoff) is binne 2 maande van mekaar daar gebore in 1754. Dis nogal interessant om te dink dat hulle waarskynlik mekaar geken het en dalk selfs maats was, en meer as 220 jaar later sou hul agter-kleinseun en agter klein-dogter met mekaar trou! Mon Bijou, een van die gerestoureerde huise in Kerkstraat, is deur een van my Oumagrootjies – Catharina Margaretha de Wet – laat bou in 1812.
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Dis ongelooflik interessant Dries. Ek was in George toe die aardbewging plaasgevind het, ons kon dit duidelik voel en ek onthou hoe bang ons was. Was seker so in St 6 daai jaar.
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Ek het gelees dat mense dit selfs in Rhodesia gevoel het, Aletta, so in George moes julle dit baie sterk beleef het! Dit moes angswekkend gewees het; ons ken mos nie sulke sterk aardbewings in hierdie land nie.
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Dit was vreeslik! Onthou dat ons 3 meisiekinders sommer saam met my ma en pa in die bed gespring het! 🙄
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Fascinating text to accompany your photographs. It looks as if much benefit came from the disaster
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Oh yes they really made a wonderful effort. I remember that earthquake so well, was quite scary to feel it!
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Tulbagh is ‘n pragtige dorpie … so mooi omring deur die berge! Dis wonderlik hoe mooi die geboue herstel is na die aardbewing. Ons was al so een of twee keer daar, maar ry meeste van die tyd net verby. Ons sal ‘n besliste poging moet aanwend om sommer ‘n naweek daar te gaan kuier! Mooi foto’s, dankie vir die deel Aletta!
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Baie dankie Corna. Ons geniet dit om daarheen te gaan.
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