About Hartbeespoort
Hartbeespoort / Hartbeespoort Dam / Harties
Hartbeespoort, (meaning “pass of the hartebeest” -a species of antelope in Afrikaans), a small holiday town, is also affectionately known as Harties. The town is situated close to the Hartbeespoort dam wall, and the villages of Kosmos, Melodie, Ifafi and Meerhof can be found alongside its banks. Hartbeespoort was previously known as Schoemansville, after General Hendrik Schoeman.
Hartbeespoort is located in the North East of the North West Province on the route to Sun City, and is within an hours travel from the greater Gauteng area, and is only 15kms from Lanseria International Airport and 80kms from OR Tambo International Airport.
For a Sunday outing, weekend escape, or a three week holiday with the family, there is no longer any debate, the place to be is at the Hartbeespoort Dam.
Not only is it less than an hours drive from Pretoria or Johannesburg, the weather all year round is probably the best in the world, and unlike most of the major holiday destinations where you end up back in the city, you are out in an idyllic bushveld setting where majestic Magaliesburg mountains add to the breathtaking beauty of the area.
Visit Hartbeespoort if it is romance or an adrenaline fix you are after, or if you want to interact with Africa’s greatest treasure, our abundant wild life.
You can experience the old, at the nearby Maropeng, or shop until you drop at the flea markets and malls in the area.
Then again if you are interested in the arts or local culture or history, well, there is more than enough to keep you busy, alternatively, if need to rejuvenate your mind, body or spirit, the spas in the area will cater to your every whim.
Come and discover the best kept secret, and find yourself “Close to the city out of this world”.
Climate
Hartbeespoort has almost year-round sunshine. Summer temperatures range, on average, between 16º C and 29º C, with afternoon thunderstorms from August to March. Although the winter nights can be cold and drop to below freezing, the average daytime temperature from May to July is 19º C.
History of the Dam
In 1896 General Hendrik Schoeman, started to build a dam wall in the Crocodile river, at the kloof, in Meerhof. It was originally call Sophia Dam after his wife, and cost a massive £10,000 to build.
Around 1905 there was an another attempt to build a dam, this time on the present site at Schoemansville, but due to financial constraints, building was terminated.
Official investigations into the possibility of building a dam on the Crocodile River at Hartbeespoort began in 1913, when the first the first Geological tests were carried out, but building was delayed during the rebellion, and work only started in 1916.
Two years later floods swept through the construction site destroying much of the work that had been done, and setting the project back for years.
It was only after a young engineer F.W. Scott was employed that significant progress was made and the dam was finally completed in 1923.
Main Tourist Attractions
- Harbeespoort Aerial Cableway
In 2010 the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway was completely revamped and modernised and was officially reopened on 14th August 2012 by Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk.- Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safaris
- The Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Centre
- The Elephant Sanctuary
- Ukutula Game Lodge And Conference Centre
- The Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary
- Van Gaalen Kaas Makerij
- Tant Malie se Winkel
- Lesedi Cultural Village
- The Hartbeespoort Dam wall and tunnel
- The Hartbeespoort Dam Snake and Animal Park
- The Hartbeespoort Dam Aquarium
- Transvaal Yacht Club
- Boat cruises & River Rafting
- Scuba diving at Miracle Waters
- Ama Zwing Zwing Zip Line Tours
- Welwitschia Country Market
- Chameleon Village
Other leisure-oriented venues around the dam include – Pecanwood Golf Estate, Hartbeespoort Boat Club (near Kosmos), Sandy Lane Golf Club (at Caribbean Beach Club), Kosmos Marina Club, Magalies Park (Estate and Golf Club)..
Getting to Hartbeespoort
Hartbeespoort is situated between Rustenburg in the West, Pretoria in the East and the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg in the South
Getting to Hartbeespoort by air:
Lanseria International Airport (15kms): Domestic, scheduled & non-scheduled flights.
Getting to Hartbeespoort by road:
Hartbeespoort is situated 50 Km from the concrete highway in the North of Johannesburg down Malibongwe Drive R512.
From Pretoria Hartbeespoort borders on Pretoria West and is only 20km along the N4 or Church Street West. From the North of Pretoria the Platinum Highway to Rustenburg passes between Hartbeespoort and Brits (aprox) 30Km.
A History of Hartbeespoort
