Things to Do in Cradock

Situated on the banks of the Fish River, Inxuba Yethemba Municipal Park is an oasis of trees and flowers - a perfect spot to chill out in uncomfortably hot weather. The Park is a mixture of timelessness and modernity: beautiful gardens, shady trees, the Cradock Four Memorial, the Jurie Lombard Water Mill, plus a sports complex that could well be the envy of many a larger town. The sports complex features a swimming pool, tennis courts, a rugby field encircled by a superb synthetic athletic track which hosts events at regional and national level, a pavilion seating 2 000 and a caravan park with full facilities. The annual Hansa Powerade Great Fish River Canoe Marathon ends at the Park.

Die Tuishuise in Market Street are fifteen beautifully restored mid-19th century houses with different styles of period furniture in each. Originally these houses were occupied by craftsmen who worked on wagons and with horses before the advent of the motor car. The intention is to convert the whole of Market Street into a tourist attraction, and to restore it and all the houses to their former glory, so that one maintains the historical heritage of this town. The restored houses serve as overnight tourist accommodation and are a major attraction in Cradock.

South African author, pacifist and political activist, Olive Schreiner, is best known for her novel, The Story of an African Farm. The book was first published in 1883 in London and quickly became a best-seller, despite causing controversy over its frank portrayal of freethought, feminism, premarital sex and pregnancy out of wedlock and transvestitism.The Schreiner House Museum is one of Cradock’s interesting and attractive historical buildings. From 1868 till 1870 it was home to Olive and three of her siblings. Her elder brother, Theo, was principal of the “Government Aided School” in Cradock at the time. The other two siblings were her elder sister Henrietta and her younger brother Will, later Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Today the Schreiner House is a National Monument containing Olive’s personal library, exhibitions depicting her life and those of her siblings, and copies of all the books she wrote. There is also a bookshop selling a wide variety of books, including Schreiner’s most celebrated work, The Story of an African Farm, as well as other books by and about her.