Nestled in the Overberg at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains, lies Swellendam, a town that has drawn creatives of all sorts.
Janet Pillai, host of Jetsetting with Janet, speaks to three Swellendam locals about their work and what they love about the picturesque town.
Creative Director at Travelgram, Margaux Tait, says they are working to make Swellendam a destination town and not just a place to stop and fill up your petrol tank.
Travelgram is a magazine and online digital guide to the Overberg areas. Tait says her team of four creatives visit places in the area to write honest and authentic reviews of places and experiences.
“Especially after Covid-19, people sat themselves down and decided what’s important to them. And out here, we really do the slow living, the free range kind of attitude, and celebrating each other and celebrating our environment,” she said.
Natalie Turck, owner of Wildebraam Berry Estate, says the beautiful “plattelande” is what motivated her and her family to move to Swellendam 22 years ago after leaving the corporate environment of Johannesburg.
We wanted to come back to good wholesome country living. We took a risk, which has definitely paid off.
Owners Natalie and Martyn Turck have grown Wildebraam Berry Estate from the ground up in 1996 into Swellendam’s “berried treasure” with a focus on quality and hospitality.
Youngberries and blackberries are grown on the estate and guests are able to book a berry picking experience.
“The youngberry is unique to Swellendam. The youngberry is in fact a cross between a raspberry and blackberry. And they’re part of the rose family. So we have a very unique product, which we then developed into a stunning liqueur as well as various jams and syrups for ice cream,” she said.
Eduan Swanepoel, Chairman of the Swellendam Music Society, says that since the society was formed in June last year, the town has been able to host six concerts a year.
“What we do now is every time we have a concert, we involve the learner from the local school,” he said.
There are great prizes up for grabs this week on Jetsetting with Janet! Here’s how you could win:
- One weekend for one lucky couple at Umshanti in the honeymoon chapel.
- One bottle of Rebel Gin
- Six bottles of Olivedale wine
- One voucher from The Food Laundry Deli
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