Over the Spring weekend in Magoebaskloof, there is a new offering in the neighbourhood. Opening on 23 and 24 September 2023, The Mountain Homestead Meander will give visitors the unique opportunity to visit three homesteads off the R71, a short distance from Haenertsburg Village. ‘This bustling little farm road has so many folk doing interesting things which they wanted to share with visitors, along with gifts from their hands and hearts’.
HILLTOP HOMESTEAD
Louise Claassen has a beautiful hilltop homestead just outside Haenertsburg with views of The Iron Crown and Wolkberg mountains. She arrived on ‘The Mountain’ in 2007, met Garry Wilkinson at the local Iron Crown Pub and the rest is history. She is the ultimate ‘homesteader’ making her own vinegar, soap, preserves and artisanal salts as well as farming with chicken, geese and traditional African goats. Over the Spring Festival weekend, visitors can stop in for a spectacular Homestead Breakfast with homemade bread, butter and preserves, free-range farm eggs and Seswaa (pounded meat) along with slowly-brewed ‘Moer Coffee’. Fig & ginger preserves, goat’s-milk cheese and marmalade will be available for sale as well as goat’s-milk soap. Kids can pet and feed the farm animals or go on a special ‘Enchanted Forest Treasure Hunt’. Garry, a pilot, relocated an aircraft hangar from Polokwane to Hilltop in the late 90's, and this structure ultimately expanded into the Yellow Wood Guest Cottage and The Hangar function venue which will host diva Jennifer Jones with the Straight Ahead Jazz Duo in concert on 23 September.
Connect with Louise on 071 768 0459 for more details. Bookings are essential for the Jennifer Jones concert on 23 September.
WOODCUTTERS HOMESTEAD & DISTILLERY
Over the weekend of 23 and 24 September, Michelle Holtman will be offering delicious, healthy meals at Woodcutters Homestead using their free-range chickens with organic herbs and vegetables from their garden - all served with ‘a smidgen of dinkum hillbilly moonshine.’ Her husband, Mark, a Hobby Distiller of ‘the most spectacular distilled brandy, fruit-infused vodka and liquors’ will be there to share his knowledge with other enthusiasts. Mark and Michelle moved up to ‘The Mountain’ from the Natal South Coast in 1993, exchanging their love of the surf and sea for serenity and a laid-back lifestyle. In 2001, they bought ‘their little piece of heaven nestled between the rolling hills and mountains of Haenertsburg.’ Mark, a woodcrafter, built their home in the pastures of the original sheep farm, adding Woodcutters Guest House, with its timber deck looking over stunning views of the mountain. This passionate pair are looking forward to sharing their unique and creative ideas behind a self-sustainable lifestyle with visitors to the Meander.
Head to Woodcutters Homestead & Distillery for delicious foodie options with their famous Moonshine. For more information or accommodation, contact Michelle at 079 082 9969.
IMOFLO HOMESTEAD
Situated near Haenertsburg, Imoflo Homestead has a beautiful dam set in green landscapes which are home to black swans, peking ducks and other waterfowl. Visitors over the Spring weekend can pre-book braai packs to be cooked on a communal fire, served with salads and enjoyed by the waterside. The dam is also open for bass and carp fishing on a catch and release basis (bring your own fishing rods). Antoinette Scheepers was based in Johannesburg but moved up North in February 2022 after her work went through a restructuring process and she was placed in Polokwane. She already thought that Haenertsburg was ‘one of the most beautiful places in South Africa’ so it was a perfect opportunity to move there. Antoinette loves ‘the beauty of nature - the forests, the winding roads, the waterfalls and hidden treasures of nature’. Due to popular demand, she recently started offering accommodation in the form of an open-plan log cabin sleeping four people.
Contact Antoinette on 074 540 9721 for more information about activities at Imoflo Homestead.
According to Antoinette, ‘the Mountain Homesteaders are a bunch of crazy women that love life - who want people to explore the simple but special things in life by opening their homesteads to those who want to get away from the buzz.’ So take a Meander along their farm road for something different this Spring. (23 and 24 September 2023). From Haenertsburg, turn left towards Polokwane onto the R71 and travel 2 km, turning right onto the A9 dirt road with a big sign saying ‘The Hangar’