Ox-Wagon Monument used to depict an oxwagen drawn by oxen and was made from molten metal of discarded cartridge casings. It commenerates the 1938 re-enactment of the Great Trek.

After the oxen were stolen in the nineties, the oxwagen was removed and put on display in the Pellissier House Museum up the road, where it can still be viewed.

Louw Wepener monument

The Tussen Die Riviere Nature Reserve was established in 1972 and is situated where the Caledon River joins the Orange River to the north east of Bethulie, hence the name "Tussen-die-Riviere" (Between The Rivers) Nature Reserve. It encompasses 22,000ha.

The reserve with its wide open plains is home to large herds of blesbock, black wildebeest and springbok. Other antelope include eland, grey rhebok, gemsbok, mountain reedbuck, impala, kudu, red hartebeest and Burchell's zebra, while buffalo and black rhino take shelter along the bushy river banks. White rhino have also recently been introduced. Warthog are always a treat to look at and small nocturnal mammals, such as porcupine, aardvark, aardwolf and bat-eared fox, make night drives and unforgettable experience.

In days gone by San and Cape vultures took refuge on the rocky ledges of Aasvoëlkop. Today, only paintings and whitewashed ledges bear witness to their existence.

Majestic animals, interesting rock formations, beautiful grass plains and river gorges truly make this reserve on the southern tip of the Free State a destination not to be missed. Recreation on the reserve include one and two-day hiking trails, game viewing, hunting and an adventurous 4x4 route. For more information contact 051 - 763 1114.

From September to the end of April it is run like any other game reserve and is open for visits daily from sunrise to sunset. During the winter months however, hunting is permitted in order to regulate the stocks of game and the reserve is then closed to the general public.

Southwest of Bethulie is the Gariep Dam (Hendrik Verwoerd Dam), an artificial lake over 100km (62miles) long, with an area of 374sq.km (44sq.miles), which was built in 1971 by the damming of the Orange River. The fourth largest artificial lake in Africa, with a dam wall 90m (300ft) high and a maximum capacity of 5958 million cubic meters (1314 billion gallons), it is part of the Orange River Project, a large and complex irrigation scheme for the distribution of water from the river. In 1975 the 82.5km (51mile) long Orange River Fish Tunnel was opened. The world's longest water tunnel, with a diameter of 5.35m/17.5ft, it conveys water from the Gariep Dam into the valley of the Fish River and thus ensures an adequate water supply for Port Elizabeth.

The lake offers excellent facilities for water sports.
On the north side of the lake is the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam Nature Reserve (area 36,500ha/90,000 ac). Here live many species of game, including wildebeests and the largest population of springboks in South Africa. In the western part of the park is a holiday center with various types of accommodation for visitors, sports facilities, a shopping center and a restaurant.

Gariep Nature Reserve

The Gariep Dam which is the largest area of water in South Africa, is a 54km drive south from Bethulie along the R701. It also has a Game Reserve with lots of antilope and other wild life.

This reserve, covering an area of about 12 000 hectares, extends from the Gariep Dam wall all along the Free State border to Bethulie. It is a reserve of contrasts, where open plains, dominated by mixed Nama Karoo vegetation, link many koppies and ridges to one another. The beautiful Karoo landscape adjacent to the water wonder-world of the Gariep Dam creates a tranquil atmosphere that could only push you into a perfect relaxing mode.

If you set your scope on green issues, then Gariep Nature Reserve has a lot to contribute. A few years ago there were less than one hundred of the beautiful Cape Mountain Zebra left in the world. During the late nineteen seventies a breeding programme was started with twelve Cape Mountain Zebra that were received from the Cape Mountain Zebra park near Cradock. Currently there are more than seventy of these animals in the Gariep Nature Reserve. Some have already been transferred to other destinations. It is also the northern point in the world where one will find Cape Mountain Zebra.

Other animals that you can feast your eyes on include the majestic kudu, gemsbok, springbok, blue wildebeest, the second largest herd of black wildebeest in the world, impala, blesbok, red hartebeest, steenbok, eland, mountain reedbuck and klipspringer. At dusk you could be lucky enough to find a few small predators such as aardwolf and bat-eared fox as they search for a juicy meal of termites and other insects. During a game drive in the Gariep Nature Reserve you could encounter herds of up to a few hundred antelope at a time. This is a thrill that you will experience at only a few places in South Africa.

For more information on the reserve, its animal and plant life, or accommodation, phone 051 - 754 0026/48

The Gariep Dam which is the largest area of water in South Africa, is a 54km drive south from Bethulie along the R701. It also has a Game Reserve with lots of antilope and other wild life.

This reserve, covering an area of about 12 000 hectares, extends from the Gariep Dam wall all along the Free State border to Bethulie. It is a reserve of contrasts, where open plains, dominated by mixed Nama Karoo vegetation, link many koppies and ridges to one another. The beautiful Karoo landscape adjacent to the water wonder-world of the Gariep Dam creates a tranquil atmosphere that could only push you into a perfect relaxing mode.

If you set your scope on green issues, then Gariep Nature Reserve has a lot to contribute. A few years ago there were less than one hundred of the beautiful Cape Mountain Zebra left in the world. During the late nineteen seventies a breeding programme was started with twelve Cape Mountain Zebra that were received from the Cape Mountain Zebra park near Cradock. Currently there are more than seventy of these animals in the Gariep Nature Reserve. Some have already been transferred to other destinations. It is also the northern point in the world where one will find Cape Mountain Zebra.

Other animals that you can feast your eyes on include the majestic kudu, gemsbok, springbok, blue wildebeest, the second largest herd of black wildebeest in the world, impala, blesbok, red hartebeest, steenbok, eland, mountain reedbuck and klipspringer. At dusk you could be lucky enough to find a few small predators such as aardwolf and bat-eared fox as they search for a juicy meal of termites and other insects. During a game drive in the Gariep Nature Reserve you could encounter herds of up to a few hundred antelope at a time. This is a thrill that you will experience at only a few places in South Africa. For more information on the reserve, its animal and plant life, or accommodation, phone 051 - 754 0026/48