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Welcome to Bredasdorp

When setting off to the Cape Agulhas region one expects it to be dotted only with small sleepy towns. On the most part this is true. However, Bredasdorp brings a new element to its own docile nature with a plethora of different businesses and geographical convenience (proximity to other towns). 

The surging sea of valleys will take your breath away as the different farms create patches of varying hues that from afar look like a classic square quilt. With the surrounding valleys as a permanent reminder that you are out in the countryside, it is easy to get lost in the tranquillity of the town. However, you can still enjoy urban convenience. Whether you need to run errands or want to do a bit of shopping, browsing through galleries or interior decorating it most certainly can be done in Bredasdorp. It is, after all, the place where the surrounding farmers and townsfolk will come to do their shopping and admin. 

Although Bredasdorp may be the business hub of Cape Agulhas it does not mean that it has lost any of its old charm. Many of the houses are still standing defiant to the test of time with their stone foundations and white-washed walls. Some of these houses are even churches converted to homes as their roles changed over the years. There are approximately twenty to thirty churches in this one town, each church accommodating for a different denomination.

The main church in the centre of town is the largest and grandest of them all with the most significant role in the history of the town. The church was erected in 1842 on the Langefontein farm as a result of a feud over its location between Michiel van Breda and Pieter Voltelyn van der Byl. The town was built around the church ten years later so in essence it was the very foundation and cause for the town. The other churches are smaller, cosy and allow for an intimate service. 

Bredasdorp may be the biggest town in Cape Agulhas yet it is still surprisingly peaceful. When entering Bredasdorp there is that signature peaceful atmosphere that small towns possess and where everyone knows everyone. Once you wind your way through the more suburban areas and out of centre of town there are quaint and spacious homes with well-groomed gardens. The houses are spread out and nothing quite like the cramped quarters normally found in cities. Most of the area feels secure and homely. 

For an overview of Bredasdorp make your way up to a higher point where you can look over the dam, quaint old houses interspersed with the modern architecture, the smoke from the wheat silos in the distance and the kaleidoscope of greens, yellows and reds of the rolling valleys. There are numerous activities to enjoy in the vast open spaces and museums and old buildings to instil a bit of culture.

There is urban convenience coupled with serene natural beauty, old houses mixed with modern homes, farm-style lunches and global culinary influences, franchise shops and small independent curio stores… Bredasdorp is a collaboration of many different aspects meeting in one place. It is much more than one would’ve expected on arrival.