Uniondale
The Little Karoo’s best kept secret, Uniondale on the R62, is to be found in a surprisingly green valley, surrounded by hills. The Kamanassie and Kouga mountains watch silently over this little farming town, and in the distance - the mighty Swartberg becomes the horizon. Visitors to Uniondale are delighted with the diversity, stunning scenery, magical flora and incredible geology. Our beautiful historical buildings include seven national monuments. There is so much to see and do. Play a round of golf or go walking, cycling, and hiking. Visit our restaurants, coffee shops, antique shop and art gallery. We even have a dinner theatre or pub on Friday and Saturday nights. Meet the local characters who will tell you wonderful stories about the town and answer your questions about our ghost. Nearby, there are San rock paintings dating back 3,000 years, birding, trout fishing, mountain biking, scenic gravel roads and botanic routes, game drives, hunting, and horse riding. Uniondale is a popular cycling destination. The 100km Karoo to Coast mountain bike race from Uniondale to Knysna through the Prince Alfred’s Pass is held annually in September. A regular fixture in the American Saddle Horse calendar, the Uniondale Agricultural Show is held in October. Uniondale lies in the Kammanasie river valley, close to the river’s headwaters. The main road (N9) from the south climbs the Potjiesberg pass to 900 metres above sea level. The summit has some unusual geology of thick, flat topped rock ledges beneath which is very soft crumbly material, white in colour. As the route descends to the valley the town comes into view, and the distant scene is dominated by the river valley enclosed by rugged hills made of sandstone rocks named the Table Mountain group, 480 million years in age. Within the valley are softer rocks less resistant to erosion, the shales and muddy sandstones of the Bokkeveld group of rocks. Standing in the valley are three prominent flat-topped hills dominating the vista. These are “mesas”, erosion remnants of a one time widespread plain sloping gently from 1000 metres elevation in the north to 600 metres in the south, along the Kammanasie river. These are the remains of the ancient African Surface, a landscape feature scattered throughout southern Africa. The view from Uniondale Heights on approaching the town from the north on the N9 is similarly striking, and the three mesas are again first view of note. The view of these mesas has been rendered in a landscape by Uniondale artist Gail Strever, a painting that captures the uniqueness of the scene.
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