Wolseley is a small town in the upper
Breede River Valley region of the
Western Cape province of
South Africa. In the
2011 Census it had a population of 1,528 people.
It is located northeast of
Cape Town, in the
Land van Waveren valley between the
Waterval Mountains to the west and the
Witzenberg Mountains to the east.
Geography
Wolseley lies at an altitude of on the
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
between the
drainage basins of the
Breede River, which flows south to the
Indian Ocean, and the
Berg River
The Berg River (also called Great Berg River or in Afrikaans: Bergrivier) is a river located just north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is approximately 294 km (183 mi) long with a catchment area of 7,715& ...
, which flows north to the
Atlantic Ocean. It is south of
Tulbagh, southwest of
Ceres, and northwest of
Worcester.
Government
Wolseley is divided between wards 2 and 7 of the
Witzenberg Local Municipality, which has its headquarters at Ceres.
Transport
Wolseley is located just off the
R46 regional route, which runs north to Tulbagh and the
Nuwekloof Pass to the
Swartland, and east over
Michell's Pass
Michell's Pass is a mountain pass in the Western Cape province of South Africa which approaches the town of Ceres from the south-west, connecting it to Tulbagh, Worcester and the Breede River Valley. The pass is traversed by the R46 road and the C ...
to Ceres. The
R43 regional route begins nearby at a junction with the R46, and runs south to the
N1 national route at Worcester. The R43 also connects to the
R301 over
Bain's Kloof Pass to
Wellington.
It is also situated on the main railway line from Cape Town to the interior.
Wolseley railway station is served by
Metrorail's "Boland Blitz" service, with one train per day in the morning from Worcester to Cape Town, and one in the evening in the other direction. Wolseley is also the junction for the now-closed branch line to Ceres.
In popular culture
In the novel ''Wolseley'' (2014) by South African author John J le Grange, the town is home to the family of three who travel to Cape Town looking for a better fortune, as well as being the title to the book.
Wolseley (novel) listed on www.amazon.com
Retrieved on 2016-07-02.
References
External links
Wolseley at Western Cape Tourism
{{Cape Winelands District Municipality
Populated places in the Witzenberg Local Municipality