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Toposcope

The Bathurst Toposcope marks the spot where the 1820 British Settlers locations were surveyed. The details of the settlements, and the names of the ships and their ports of departure are recorded on 57 plaques – originally brass. However they were stolen, and later replaced with plaques made of fibreglass. The inscription on the plinth reads ” Close to this site in 1820 Colonel Jacob Cuyler made his camp while supervising the placing of the settlers on their locations. While camped here at the same time Sir Rufane Donkin chose the site for the administrative centre to be named Bathurst. The beacon was erected by Captain W. Bailey as an observing station during his survey of the Eastern Districts, 1855 – 1859.” The stones used in the construction of the wall were taken from ruins of original Settler homes. On a clear day, visitors to the area are provided with magnificent views of the Gamtoos Valley floodplain from The Great Fish River to Kwaaihoek.
Bathusrt : Toposcope

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Methodist Church

The original thatch roof has been replaced. Proclaimed: 17-07-1987. (Richardson, D. 2001: 9) (Oberholster, J. 1972. The historical monuments of South Africa. Cape Town: Rembrandt van Rijn)

Bathurst_Methodist_Church

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Welcome to Bathurst

Glad you found our small village. If you are living or working in Bathurst and would like to contribute to a community website please contact us on . You can also submit any related Bathurst business, service or product by clicking here.

Bathurst is situated on the fringes of both the Sunshine Coast and Frontier Country, a scenic half hour drive on the R67 from Grahamstown or 10 minutes from Port Alfred, half way between  Port Elizabeth and East London on the R72.

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Bathurst is a mere 10 minutes from Port Alfred, with it’s glorious beaches, restaurants, shops, the renowned Royal Alfred Golf Course and water sport orientated activities. Close by is the Fish River Sun with it’s Golf Course designed by Gary Player.  It is in close proximity to malaria free game parks and reserves.

Seeped in the history of the Eastern Cape’s tumultuous past and personifying the essence of the brave and hardy English Settlers which while giving it a distinctly English rural feeling, it’s beautiful indigenous trees such as the giant wild fig trees and the brilliantly coloured Coral trees which predominate remind one that this is still Africa.

Bathurst

Coral_tree

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Bathurst Country Affair

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Port Alfred

Port Alfred is a small town with a population of just under 20,000 in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated on the eastern seaboard of the country at the mouth of the Kowie River, almost exactly half-way between the larger cities of Port Elizabeth and East London and 30 km West of Cannon Rocks.

Port Alfred is home to Southern Africa’s largest air school, 43 Air School.

Port Alfred was established in the early 1820s by British settlers who were moved into the area by Lord Charles Somerset as a buffer between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa people. Originally it was two separate towns (settlers arriving on the west bank in 1820 named their settlement Port Kowie, and those arriving on the east bank named theirs Port Frances.

Later, in 1860, when Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred visited, the name was changed to honour him.

The port

In 1839, William Cock started to block the natural river mouth to the east and canalise the present opening to the sea. By 1841 South Africa’s first man-made harbour was opened after completion of the stone lined channel between the ocean and the Kowie river.[7] This allowed high-masted sailing ships with their heavy cargo to dock at the wharf.

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