Riversdale | |
|---|---|
Clockwise from top: Approaching the town of Riversdale on the N2 highway, St Matthews Church, Old Tolhouse Garcia Pass, Versveld House, Riversdale Train Station. | |
  Riversdale  Riversdale  Riversdale | |
| Coordinates: 34°05′49″S 21°15′44″E / 34.09694°S 21.26222°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| District | Garden Route |
| Municipality | Hessequa |
| Established | 1838[1] |
| Government | |
| • Councillor | Betsie van Noordwyk [2] (DA) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 100.45 km2 (38.78 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Population (2011)[3] | |
| • Total | 16,176 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 8.9% |
| • Coloured | 75.2% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
| • White | 15.3% |
| • Other | 0.3% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 92.3% |
| • Xhosa | 3.7% |
| • English | 2.2% |
| • Other | 1.8% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 6670 |
| PO box | 6670 |
| Area code | 028 |
Riversdale (Afrikaans: Riversdal) is a town located along the N2 highway, within the Hessequa region between Cape Town and George on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape province of South Africa. It is an agricultural service oriented town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller towns, and coastal resorts, like Witsand and Stilbaai. It is located beneath the imposing Langeberg Mountains to the north, with Sleeping Beauty Mountain Peak overlooking the town. The town is home to the second largest collection of Thomas Bowler paintings within South Africa and is also the only town in the country, in which you would find a Ukrainian Museum of Culture. Riversdale links with the Klein Karoo, via the tarred Garcia's Mountain Pass, which offers traditional Karoo landscapes and wide open spaces for motorcyclists.
The Old Jail dates back to the 1800s, and is one of the most visited tourist facilities in town. The Bali Trading Complex is arguably one of the most visited facilities along all of the N2.
The Riversdal Landbouskou (agricultural show) is a popular agricultural festival, taking place annually in February. Riversdale as a popular tourist town, has many coffee shops, restaurants, accommodation facilities and traveller experiences like wineries, horse riding and fishing at the Korentepoort Dam Resort.
- ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
- ^ "Ward Councillors - Ward 7".
- ^ a b c d "Main Place Riversdale". Census 2011.