A drostdy was the landdrost’s (local administrator's) residence and included his office and courtroom as well as his family’s living quarters. The Graaff-Reinet drostdy, built in 1806, is now a luxury hotel, but you can still see the freed slaves' cottages on Stretcher's Court at the rear. The old slave bell was restored and then, in an awful piece of irony, unveiled by apartheid-era prime minister BJ Vorster.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.83 MILES
The park’s most popular sight, the Valley of Desolation is a hauntingly beautiful valley with outstanding views – the rugged, piled dolerite columns are…
2.02 MILES
Camdeboo National Park covers an area of 194 sq km and almost completely surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet. There are plenty of animals including…
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26.51 MILES
The idiosyncratic vision that inspired artist Helen Martins (1897–1976) to turn her home and studio into a singular work of outsider art is the bedrock of…
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Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre
26.56 MILES
The models and fossil casts here depict prehistoric animals (gorgonopsians, dicynodonts and the like) around 253 million years old – 50 million years…
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0.07 MILES
This former library, built in 1847, houses a wide-ranging collection of historical artefacts. There's fossils from the Karoo, displays on Khoe-San rock…
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0.22 MILES
This Dutch Reformed parsonage, built between 1806 and 1812, is a beautiful example of Cape Dutch architecture, with high ceilings and yellow wood floors…
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0.06 MILES
Located in one of South Africa's oldest churches, a Dutch Reformed Mission church consecrated in 1821, this museum hosts an art collection of work by more…
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0.18 MILES
This landmark 19th-century church, one of South Africa’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, stands in the town's main square. It was built…
Nearby Eastern Cape attractions
0.06 MILES
Located in one of South Africa's oldest churches, a Dutch Reformed Mission church consecrated in 1821, this museum hosts an art collection of work by more…
0.07 MILES
This former library, built in 1847, houses a wide-ranging collection of historical artefacts. There's fossils from the Karoo, displays on Khoe-San rock…
0.18 MILES
This landmark 19th-century church, one of South Africa’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, stands in the town's main square. It was built…
0.19 MILES
Marvel at this well-preserved, 19th-century house with creaking wooden floors and a large collection of firearms, as well as historical photos.
0.22 MILES
This Dutch Reformed parsonage, built between 1806 and 1812, is a beautiful example of Cape Dutch architecture, with high ceilings and yellow wood floors…
0.23 MILES
This renovated house shows how well-to-do 19th-century families lived. It features a fine collection of Victorian furniture and exhibitions on…
0.23 MILES
Accessed through Urquhart House, this museum gives an overview of local military history from the 1800s to the current century.
2.02 MILES
Camdeboo National Park covers an area of 194 sq km and almost completely surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet. There are plenty of animals including…