Sedgefield

The Cape Fold Mountains of the Western Cape create the great divide that separates the temperate region of the Garden Route from its drier inland counterpart, the Little Karoo. Many substantial rivers arise in the high reaches flowing eastwards to the Indian Ocean watering the environment and contributing significantly to both man and beast and to the creation of nature’s garden that has become known as the Garden Route. Over 400 million years ago, there was only one land and one sea that encompassed it. Rivers flowed into this sea bringing sediment with them that was deposited on a granite base. This sediment was converted to hard rock by pressure and heat and is called TMQ – (Table Mountain Quartzite.)

People look like ants as Massive Mountains tower above them. Before this happened several crustal plates had formed over the earth's hot mantle beneath which was its molten core. These plates are different sizes and continue to move very slowly at about 15cms per year infinitesimally changing the world as we know it. At times they collide with staggering implications. About 260 million years ago, such a collision caused horizontal layers of sediment and rock to buckle and tilt creating the mighty range of the Cape Fold Belt.

Many times over, the sea rose and fell against this formidable barrier, evidenced by archeological findings of layers of middens thousands of years old, of hunter gatherers and herders whose diet was clearly seen to be at one stage sea creatures, then meat at another stage later, sea products again.
The cretaceous mud and sand eventually exposed as land between the Cape Fold Belt and the Indian ocean became sandstone and mudstone, a much softer material.
For decades of the 19th and 20th centuries these imposing fortresses were a huge hindrance to transport and communication between the coast and its hinterland. Ox wagons laboured in treacherous conditions for days over the difficult terrain. Eventually a railway line was built (1908 – 1912) between George and Oudtshoorn that made access to the coastline easier.

Thomas Bain and his son's were major road builders of their time and made names for themselves devising and building passes through and over the mountains in the Western Cape region.
These passes still exist today, many of them built with prison labour. These prisoners workmanship, without mechanisation to be marvelled, bearing testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of all the men involved in these massive projects.
Thomas Charles Bain lived from 1830 to 1893 overseeing 24 major roads and passes from 1854 onwards. They include the following notable roads and passes:
Meiring’s Poort- 16kms long 1854 –1858
Prince Alfred’s Pass- 70kms long 1863-1867
Seven Passes Road – between George and Knysna- 79 kms 1867-1883
Robinson Pass – Oudtshoorn to Mossel Bay 1867-1869
Swartberg Pass – Oudtshoorn to Prince Albert 24kms 1880-1888
Baviaanskloof Pass 30kms 1880-1890
Bloukrans Pass near Nature’s Valley 1878-1880
Grootrivier Pass at Nature’s Valley 1878-1881
Storms River Pass at Tsitsikamma – 1879 –1881

Sedgefield lies between George and Knysna on the Garden Route and 490 km from Cape Town. Sedgefield is a beautiful seaside village surrounded entirely by lakes, sand dunes covered in fynbos, pine plantations, the Swartvlei Estuary and the Indian Ocean. Described by some as a sleepy little village, Sedgefield borders the Goukamma Nature Reserve and the Wilderness National Park, leaving the visitor spoilt for choice when it comes to bird watching and walks through indigenous fauna and flora. Groenvlei Lake, the only freshwater lake in the district, lies to the east of Sedgefield and is popular for its Bass fishing. The lake forms part of the Goukamma Nature Reserve, which stretches from the river of the same name all the way to Buffalo Bay. This has some of the highest vegetated sand dunes in the country. The area around Sedgefield is a network of fynbos, lakeside and forest hiking trails, bearing names like the: ‘Pied Kingfisher trail’ and the ‘Brown Hooded Kingfisher trail’. Maps for the walks are available from the Rondevlei Wilderness National Park office.It is safe to say that Sedgefield is a paradise for those who love the great outdoors and because of all the water is a veritable feast of water sports. To the west of Sedgefield is the Swartvlei, one of the largest lakes in the area, forming a safe estuary for swimming and some excellent fishing. The ‘Paragliding Fly In’ competition, which has gained popularity over the past few years, has earned Sedgefield a reputation amongst paragliders. The competition has been included in the Sedgefield Lakes Festival, initially falling over the Easter weekend but now taking place in September to coincide with the Eastern Cape Yachting Provincials. The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe Steam Train was used to stop here on her trip between George and Knysna, and was worth the ride for the sheer breathtaking scenery. Yet the predominant appeal of Sedgefield is her uncomplicated charm and quiet simplicity. Her beauty lies in her lack of sophistication and relaxed way of life and many seeking an alternative lifestyle have settled here.