THE EARLY INHABITANTS

The Koi and the San people lived for thousands of years in the Ceres Karoo area, hunting and gathering food from animals and plants. Some of their rock paintings can be seen on Vaalkloof. About three hundred years ago, the first European Settlers arrived in the area. They travelled through to the North, along Karoo Poort, towards the Orange River and Namibia and to the east over the Vaal River to the Transvaal. After a few years, diamonds were discovered in Kimberley and the trek road to Kimberley became the highway to the North. The road winding through the Ceres Karoo via Sutherland up to Kimberley is also known as THE FORGOTTEN HIGHWAY.

EARLY FARMING

Farmers started to build roads, fences and shepherd huts for their sheep and cattle. Ceres farmers used Vaalkloof, like many other farms in the Ceres Karoo, as winter grazing for their cattle. People did not stay here permanently. For this reason this vast area remained mainly undeveloped. There are not many farmhouses, no electricity (the first private electricity line in the area was built on the owner's own cost during 1997) and no tar roads (the road through Karoo Poort was tarred to protect the house and fig trees from dust. They are both National Monuments).

VAALKLOOF FOR SHEEP-FARMING

Mr Johannes Moller bought the farm in October 1978 from a Mr Johannes Jacobus Brink. Mr Izak du Toit bought the farm from Mr Moller during May 1997 for sheep farming. While exploring the property, he discovered the beauty and unique qualities of Vaalkloof and decided to build a hiking trail to share his discovery with other people. He also built a road to the top of Bontberg and erected a fence to provide grazing for his sheep in the mountainous area. The road was also used as an inspection road for the rest of the fence on the mountain. Today 4x4 enthusiasts use this road. During December 2000 Mr Du Toit sold Vaalkloof to Mr Pieter de Bod. There is an onsite manager.

VAALKLOOF FOR GAME-FARMING

Towards the end of 1998, Mr Du Toit decided to introduce some game on the property and contacted Mr Ken Coetzee to carry out an assessment of natural resource potential - some parts of this page are devoted to his research. It was decided to end the sheep farming, to destroy all alien flora and to declare Vaalkloof as a Nature Reserve, following this study. Soon afterwards the Vaalkloof Private Nature Reserve was also declared to be a Natural Heritage Site. Currently game, which historically grazed this area, have been introduced - Eland was the first to be introduced during June 2000. In February 2001, Ostrich were introduced into Vaalkloof, with Springbok and Gemsbok following in July of 2001. There are plans to introduce Cape Mountain Zebra in the future.