Great Brak River ( af, Groot-Brakrivier) is a coastal village in the

Mossel Bay Local Municipality Mossel Bay Municipality ( af, Mosselbaai Munisipaliteit; xh, uMasipala wase Mossel Bayi) is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. the population was 89,430. Geography The municipality covers an area of on the coa ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It is a historic village built around the lagoon of the Great Brak River, north-northeast of the town of Mossel Bay.

History

The town was founded by the Searle family of Surrey, England, of which the elder brother, Richard (originally a labourer), emigrated to South Africa under a government-sponsored scheme in 1845. He arrived in Great Brak River to work for the Central Road Board in 1850. Richard's brother, Charles, and sister-in-law, Pamela, are credited with founding the village in 1859. The Searle family went on to become toll keepers (toll houses were operated by private contractors during the 1800s), and would establish shopping, accommodation, shoe-making and timber businesses in the village.

Geography

Topography

The Great Brak River and its tributaries rises on the slopes of the Engelsberg and Jonkersberg (Varing River) in the Outeniqua Mountain Range 25 km in a straight line from the Great Brak River mouth. The catchment is relatively long and narrow being about 25 km long and reaching a maximum of about 8 km wide. Much of the river drains an elevated coastal platform or platform or plateau 150-300 m above sea level. Below the Wolwedans dam the river enters a gorge which takes the form of a V which is indicative of a non-glacial valley. Between the village of Great Brak and the Garden Route Freeway (N2 Highway) and other bridges the river enters the lagoon basin (estuary) about 1 km long and 0.5 km wide. The basin is bounded by the hilly coastal plain in the north and by an approximately 30 m high bush-covered dune ridge to the south. The dunes east of the mouth form a bluff about 50-60 m high consisting of 20 m basal dune rock, probably of Tertiary age, overlaid by a partly vegetated field of transverse barchan sand dunes. The Hersham residential area has been developed in this area. Although Great Brak is part of the greater Mosselbay municipality it is also a town in its own right.

Churches

Great Brak churches include The Searles Memorial, St. John's Anglican Church, VGK, New Apostolic Church, Old Apostolic Church, United Congregational Church, NG Church and the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Modern day

Today, Great Brak River is chiefly a holiday destination, with beaches and the lagoon providing the major attractions. The island residential area is linked to the mainland by a single lane bridge. Other highlights in Great Brak River include a local history museum, historic buildings built between 1852 and the mid-1930s, the

Wolwedans Dam Wolwedans Dam is a concrete dam in South Africa located on the Great Brak River near Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa. The dam is the main source of water for the municipality of Mossel Bay as well as the gas-to-liquids refinery PetroSA. Th ...

, and a restored

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

dating back to the early 1900s. The 4-star Botlierskop Private Game Reserve is the biggest commercial attraction in the Great Brak area, along with several small shops and restaurants located in the town center. The 250 year old shoe factory of Bolton Footwear,http://www.bolwear.co.za/about/ Bolton Footwear originally started by the Searl family, is still in operation today in Groot Brak River and is one of the primary employers in the town.

Getting there

The town can easily be reached by vehicle using the N2 national highway that runs through the town. Great Brak River is halfway on the N2 between Mossel Bay to the west and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

to the east. The nearest commercial airport is 15 km away at George International Airport to the east.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Mossel Bay Local Municipality