Page 20 - Cape-Camera-May-June-2021

May/June 2021 Cape Camera

A member’s travelogue

Beautiful reflections on Baloch farm & winding roads up the many passes. Images by Lesley Parolis (left) Marius Stockenström (right)

Walkerbouts' owner David Walker (left) - an entertaining storyteller, chronicler and historian; his partner and right hand Susan Kölz
(right) and a view towards the village (centre). All images by Trudi du Toit
Rhodes – a gem that is not hidden

Magnificent autumn colours of trees, awe-inspiring mountains & mean-

dering streams make this a prime photographers’ destination.

by Trudi du Toit

‘Rhodes! Where on earth is that?!’ Was our reaction when Kim
Stevens invited us to join a group of photographers to visit this
Eastern Highlands village. She spotted the potential for land-
scape photography tours last year when the Stevens’ overnight-
ed there on their return journey from KwaZulu Natal. We were to
be the test group for future tours.
A very willing test group, after we realised the photo opportu-
nities offered by the beautiful autumn colours of the poplars,
elms, beech and oak trees planted by farmers, some of the high-
est mountain passes in the country and streams that made the
area a trout fishers Mecca. Not to mention the charm of a whole
village that was declared a national monument.
Google Maps showed that Rhodes is situated in the Eastern
Cape highlands close to the Lesotho border and that there are
several routes to approach it. Our group decided to overnight
in the photogenic Graaff-Reinet, which is the town with the
highest number of national monuments in the country. Several
members of the group spent two nights in guest houses and in-
cluded a trip to the fascinating Nieu Bethesda, home of the owl On the top of Naude’s Nek (from left) Lesley Parolis, Kathy Priday,
house, in their itinerary. They also made ample use of the op- Anna Engelhardt, Doug Stephens, Kim Stephens, Jacoba du Toit,
portunity to photograph the unique architecture of the town, Marius Stockenström, Brendan Cole, Trudi du Toit, Lambe Parolis,
especially the Dutch Reform Church, dating from 1800. Richard Goldschmidt and NIcol du Toit. Image by Joyce Gold-
Some group members stayed in the well-managed tented camp schmidt.

19 Cape Town Photographic Society