When last did you “go for a drive”? Yes, we know that living in Johannesburg it sometimes feels like you live in your car, but I’m not referring to the daily grind. Instead, my reference is to that recreational drive, one that takes place over a weekend, when you take your time.
Recently a Saturday afternoon presented just such an opportunity and, with no clock needing to be watched, the sidekick and I set off on what would turn out to be a 120km round-trip that included lions and tigers and … giraffes, oh my!
And warthog, lots and lots of warthogs.
Looming power towers litter the countryside like giants casting a watchful eye across the landscape.
Abandoned buildings, once abuzz with activity scatter the winding roads to Hartebeespoort.
When we encountered a street we had always wondered about, well we went exploring. We found mansions on one side and informal settlements on the other, wealth and poverty next-door neighbours.
The Water Hyacinth invasion is a real crisis in this area, the invader is rapidly eating into the ecosystem and the residents must be pulling their hair out faster than they can pull out the plant. We did manage to stumble on an untouched section of the dam, the wind rippling across the surface. It was a peaceful pause in our journey.
Then it was off to “Tan Malie se Winkel” a historic note on the trail through Hartebeespoort.
The Hartebeespoort Dam was completed in April 1923, and up until this time, the premises that would become the shop were utilised as offices for the engineers of the early Hartbeespoort Irrigation Works responsible for overseeing the labourers.
Today the shop has loads of yummy treats including the freshest bread, preserves and fudge … lots of amazing fudge.
Cross the single lane bridge and you arrive at the arch. Also completed in 1923, the archway is a replica of the Arc De Triomphe and contains two Latin inscriptions referencing the agriculture so important to the area years ago. Unfortunately, the arch now features a barbed-wire wrapping to protect it from further vandalism. Through the arch and you’re into the tunnel, one of my favourite parts of this drive.
Follow those twisty roads and you’ll eventually reach a high point from where you can see Pelindaba, South Africa’s main nuclear research centre. This is where South Africa’s nuclear arsenal was developed, constructed and stored during the 1980’s. The facility is now run by Necsa (the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation) and is open to guided tours.
The road home provides plenty of photo opportunities but unfortunately stopping is not always an option. So, drive-by shooting it is.
Our final stop on our adventure is at the Lion and Rhino Park. More correctly, just outside. Lions on the pavement. Not exactly, they are behind electric fences, but still magnificent and, in the late afternoon sun decide to show off, just for us.
This is Africa, take an unplanned drive some time, our country never fails to surprise. So, be adventurous.
All images taken with an Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark II and an assortment of pro lens’s.
Meghan McCabe Photography
meghan mccabe photography 