Moorreesburg is a tranquil and friendly little town, about 100 kilometres from Cape Town. The land has been used for large-scale wheat farming for most of its history and has become known as: 'the breadbasket', of South Africa. With wine and olive production becoming more prominent. One of the oldest wine estate dates back to 1696. According to the 2011 census, Moorreesburg had a population of 7,760 people. More recent population figures of the Swartland Municipality, which had an estimated population of 142,592 in 2023.
Not only is Morreesburg the heart of a strong farming community but it also has one of only three wheat museum's in the world. This one in particular attracts tourists and it's a bonus that the local high school has now opened an art gallery, displaying over seventy local and recognised artists who form part of the local art route - fast becoming very popular.
Neulfonteinkop is in fact a hill just outside town upon which sits an old ship's cannon - used in days gone by to alert farmers to newly docked ships in Cape Town's harbour so that they could rush off with their produce. There is a welcome hike on the hill and the Misverstand Dam is very popular for water sports with locals and visitors alike.
The original road from Morreesburg, on route to Piketberg crosses the Berg River with the aid of a steel girder bridge - originally destined for Australia. A vessel carrying the bridge stopped in Table Bay in 1850 for repairs that entailed removing the bridge from its deck. The bridge was forever abandoned as the result of a battle to get her back on board, and today it rests on the only river wide enough for it to span. Misverstand Dam provides a fine venue for training as well as being the venue for Western Cape boat races. The river is navigable for about 12km upstream from the dam wall. 'Club Elani' at the dam has basic facilities, including parking reasonably close to the water plus a club house complete with bar and mini-café. 'Club Elani' offers several areas of entertainment, including waterskiing, fishing, hiking, biking and other activities on or around the dam.