Beloved Country
The once sleepy farm village of Durbanville is now a busy commercial centre, but with its wine route, olive farms and interesting old timers, you don’t have to go far to find some hidden gems. KARENA DU PLESSIS gets to know the locals
Just 30 minutes from Cape Town, off the N1 to Paarl through Tyger Valley, lies Durbanville. Stretched out along Durban Road – what used to be a dusty track to a small farming village with rolling hills and an old quarry – the route there today is all low-rise glass and concrete. Durbanville itself is an odd mixture of drab Seventies architecture and flashy Tuscan-style villas. Its residents, as diverse as the houses, comprise old farming stock and new families who have opted for a quieter life away from the city. Although the main drag is hardly inspiring, with the farmers co-op and fast-food outlets jostling for space, drive a few kilometres out of town and you will find remnants of a more gracious Durbanville and a sense of nostalgia.
Out here the sky is gunmetal grey and threatening to rain. Black cows amble across a carpet of gold stubble, looking for all the world like a striking art installation. The landscape is dramatic. There’s a dilapidated Cape Dutch barn in the distance, and a surprising feeling of spaciousness.
Durbanville graanboer, Francois Brink, is a fourth-generation farmer who knows the area like the back of his sun-burned hands. His farm, Goedverwacht, is just five minutes from the centre of Durbanville, but feels miles away. ‘Ag, the area has really changed,’ says Francois, between fixing a huge truck and trailer and answering his cellphone. ‘When we grew up there was nothing but farms. Each year the urban edge creeps closer. Developers keep snapping at my heels offering me lots of money for a piece of my land, which they’ll divide into hundreds of tiny plots. I tell them that if I wanted to have people close by, I would live in town. Anyway, what would I do with millions? I’m just a normal guy who wants to farm.
‘It’s not easy, though. We get no government subsidies and there’s plenty of pressure. People are quick to forget that in the 1930s, Durbanville used to be the country’s biggest wheat-producing area. Now it’s being swallowed up by housing estates. There was a time, not long ago, when I went into town and knew everybody. Durbanville has grown so much that I hardly know anybody any more.’
Which is not to say life is all bad. Francois mills his own wheat on the farm, and sells it to bakeries around the country. The hangar on his farm has two huge mountains of grain waiting for the mill and swallows flit in and out, punch-drunk on the bounty. There’s a dusty old Rolls-Royce waiting to be renovated, when Francois finds the time. Unlike big commercial mills, Francois uses a slower, cooler method of grinding and doesn’t bleach the flour. The result is a lovely, nutty flour and bakers can’t get enough. The farm is also the perfect place for his six-year-old son to grow up.
Somebody else who has a pulse on what the area was is Jean Parker, the feisty matriarch of Altydgedacht wine farm, one of the oldest in the area. She started farming in the 1950s when her husband died and she was left with two young boys and a farm to run. ‘The farms in Durbanville date back to the beginning of the colony,’ Jean explains. ‘They were established to provide the ships with meat, wine and wheat. It wasn’t unusual for women to run farms in those days – the first title deeds for this farm are in the name of Elsje van Suurwaarde, whose husband worked for the Dutch East India Company. Before the First World War, Durbanville also used to be home to the country’s biggest wagon works, run by the successful Kings brothers. At the turn of the century, they employed more than 200 men, which just about accounted for the entire village.
Altydgedacht means “always in mind” or “always hoped for”. I grew up on a farm in the Eastern Cape so it was good to be back on a farm when I got married, but Durbanville isn’t the village it used to be. ‘People are quick to forget,’ she says, ‘but 40 or so years ago Durban Road was a dirt road surrounded by dairy and wine farms. I’ve been here since the Fifties and we used to donner around the place shooting guinea fowl and fishing for bass in all the dams. In the Sixties when my kids grew up, they rode to school, which was miles away, on their bikes. It was so safe. The one traffic cop knew everybody and when the first traffic light appeared on the main road, we couldn’t understand it because there was no traffic. I think Durbanville has lost its identity and soul in the process of growing up.’
But, for award-winning photographer Johan Botha, the rural feel and village atmosphere remains and is what bowled him over when he and his wife, Chantel, moved to the area a year ago. ‘I’m passionate about olives,’ explains Johan, ‘and always wanted to buy a small-holding and grow my own, but the price of property skyrocketed, so it was out of the question. But when an estate agent showed us property here, we fell in love. The plots are big, there are guineafowl and hadedas in our garden and I have even planted 20 olive trees. I hope to get my first crop in about four years.
‘Durbanville still has a small-town feel to it. People are more courteous than in Cape Town and we feel very welcome. We’re also surrounded by some brilliant wine farms and, while I’m waiting for my olives to grow, there’s Hillcrest olive farm just out of town. Chantel and I are discovering other gems as well. Down the road from us is an asparagus farm. It’s easy to miss, but there’s nothing better than fresh asparagus. Just out of town there’s a farm that has eland, blue wildebeest, springbok and European stag. My young son, Christian, loves driving past to see them.’
So, next time you’re on the road to somewhere else, make the detour, take the long way round through Durbanville and half close your eyes to take you back 40 years or so. The town you see today has grown up into a blowsy adult, but its country soul is still there for you to enjoy.
YUM YUM
When foodies Peter Goffe-Wood and David Grier get together to open a restaurant, you need to make a booking – and fast. Cassia has opened on the picturesque Nitida wine farm. You’re going to be hard-pressed to choose from fresh chargrilled asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and shaved Parmesan; seared salmon, fennel, new potatoes and sauce vierge; sautéed squid or open ravioli nero with orange gremolata. There are also refreshingly old-fashioned dishes like wood-roasted duck with savoy cabbage, potatoes and cherries, or rib of beef bordelaise on the menu. The setting is pretty and the food is spectacular.
Beijing, in the centre of town, is something of an institution. Established in 1992 by Yuxia Sun Gao whose husband came out from China to work at UCT, it has a firm following of regulars who love eating in this authentic restaurant. There are some intriguing dishes such as Ant Climbing Tree, Happy Family and Strange Taste Beef – and others you are more likely to recognise.
If you have a hearty appetite, try Alberto’s. The portions are generous and the home-made chicken pie tempts hungry farmers to leave their tractors idling and head into town. It’s served with rice, veggies, chips, potatoes – whatever you want. The lamb shanks are also fall-off-the-bone good.
The Gallery Cafe in the historic Rust-en-Vrede complex is a very popular lunchtime eatery. It specialises in Mediterranean food and their phyllo pastry quiche is a favourite. So are the savoury muffins that are baked every morning. Packed with butternut, spinach, feta cheese and nuts, they’re perfect with a kick-start cappuccino.
After catching your breath here, head for The Clay Museum in the same complex. It’s a contemporary collection of South African ceramics, paying tribute to Durbanville’s history of housing some of the best clay quarries and brickfields in the Western Cape.
YAWN
After a day’s exploring, you’ll want to find a quiet retreat. Alba Guest Farm on Visserhok Road is wonderfully relaxing. The farm used to be part of the historic Meerendal estate and is now a working horse farm. Accommodation is in comfortable cottages with astonishing views of the Drakenstein Mountains stretching from Porterville to Stellenbosch and Gordon’s Bay. Alba means ‘dawn’ in Italian and if you’re up early enough, you’ll be treated to a spectacular sunrise.
If you want something a little different, head to Clara Anna Fontein, a private game reserve and country lodge half-an-hour from the heart of Cape Town. The old farm has been converted into an unusual conference venue and you can stay in the luxury tented safari camp situated in a poplar forest. In the morning, you might be woken by eland and wildebeest drinking at the stream a few metres away.
SHHHH! DON’T TELL…
Tucked away in the heart of Durbanville is Braidlea asparagus farm. This three-hectare plot is named after a place in Scotland where the Inglis family’s forefathers are buried. It has been in the family for the last
60 years, supplying snap-crisp green and white asparagus to local restaurants. Visit them from mid-August to the end of October. Don’t even bother asking if you can buy the land! They’ll just tell you very firmly to
go away.
There’s a great farmer’s market at Nitida wine estate on the last Saturday of every month. Local producers sell their wares and you can stock up on honey, olives, eggs, fresh bread and organic vegetables. All the produce fits under a Bedouin-style tent and the atmosphere will remind you of a European food market. There’s a jumping castle and when the weather is hot, a water-slide. The market starts early and is over by noon. Be there by 7:30 am to get the best produce.
Hillcrest Estate, just outside Durbanville, has panoramic views of Table Mountain, Robben Island and the West Coast. Although relatively new to the game, the farm is garnering award after award for their olives and olive oil, and there’s olive tasting on the farm.
The Durbanville Rose Garden on Durban Road is a wonderful place to lose yourself for a few hours. There are more than 500 different kinds of roses, including gorgeous antique roses and floribundas. Tea and scones are served at the clubhouse on Sundays during the summer months.
Durbanville is well known for its delicious Sauvignon Blanc. You’re spoiled for choice in a valley that boasts nine wine farms, but keep an eye out for the Nitida Sauvignon Blanc Club Select.