Zeekoegat Farm
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Take a left turn along the Garden Route between Swellendam and George and you’ll discover countryside so pretty you’ll wonder why you haven’t ventured here before. This is where Zeekoegat Farm has held court since the mid 1700s – long before the farming village of Riversdale even came into existence. Verdant farmlands are backed by the towering Langeberg mountain range … a scene of bucolic bliss.?
Back in the day the pride of Zeekoegat was its 50-metre-long shed built in 1803, South Africa’s first under-cover milking shed. “We’ve almost finished restoring this historic barn to serve as a wedding or events venue, with a honeymoon suite at one end,” says the owner.
Given this history, it should be no surprise that farm animals roam the lovely gardens. “This is a place that reflects an enormous amount of love because we adore everything that’s around, and we’re passionate about animals. We try to let everything live as it should – we fence in the garden rather than our four pigs, which roam free.”
In its earliest days, the farm was an oasis for pioneers, with travellers replenishing here en-route inland via the Garcia Pass. This tradition of hospitality continues to this day: the 1746 listed farmstead now serves as a guesthouse, as do several other secluded cottages that offer a marvellously tranquil farm-stay experience.
There is a tangible sense of history on this extraordinarily beautiful estate, with not one but two listed heritage homes. The original Cape Dutch farmstead is a national monument dating back to 1746. A second Cape Dutch masterpiece – built in 1820 as a schoolhouse – today serves as the farm’s main manor house. “The sweeping staircase makes for quite a grand entrance,” says the owner. ?
?The dedicated conservation work?included rewilding the?farm’s?extensive acreage to eradicate invasive aliens and reestablish its original biodiversity.?It’s been such a success! The natural palmiet vegetation has been reestablished in the wetlands, where conservation research cameras have picked up otters, caracals, porcupines, honey badgers, aardvarks, civet cats, bushbuck and vervet monkeys.
?This exceptional heritage farm is now ready for a new custodian to continue its legacy of country life lived well!