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Dullstroom Dullstroom Emnothweni | |
|---|---|
 Fly-fishing at the Dullstroom dam and nature reserve | |
| Nickname: Dullies[1] | |
  Dullstroom  Dullstroom | |
| Coordinates:25°25′S30°7′E / 25.417°S 30.117°E /-25.417; 30.117 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Mpumalanga |
| District | Nkangala |
| Municipality | Emakhazeni |
| Established | 1883 |
| Area | |
• Total | 30.40 km2 (11.74 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,100 m (6,900 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 558 |
| • Density | 18/km2 (48/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 8.1% |
| • Indian/Asian | 7.3% |
| • White | 84.2% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • English | 50.7% |
| • Afrikaans | 42.1% |
| • S. Ndebele | 2.0% |
| • Sotho | 2.0% |
| • Other | 3.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 1110 |
| PO box | 1110 |
| Area code | 013 |
| Website | Dullstroom |
Dullstroom, also known asEmnothweni,[3] is a small town inMpumalanga province,South Africa. The town lies 35 kilometres (22 miles) north ofBelfast and some 53 kilometres (33 miles) south-west ofLydenburg on theR540 road.
Along withBarkly East andUnderberg, it is one of South Africa's premierflyfishing destinations. The town features the highestrailway station in South Africa at 2,077 metres (6,814 feet)above sea level as well as at the foot of De Berg, the highest point in the province at 2,332 metres (7,651 feet). Dullstroom's location on theHighveld plateau is the reason that its climate is so different from the surrounding areas.
The area was occupied in the mid-19th century by theSouthern Ndebele people under the rule of King Mabhoko (called Mapoch by white settlers). Like his sonNyabêla, Mabhoko usedMapoch's Caves as a hideout during conflict with troops of theSouth African Republic (ZAR). The most violent fighting took place from 1882 to 1883. The nearby Fort Mapoch and a statue of Nyabêla are major attractions in Dullstroom.
Dullstroom was established as the work of a settlement company founded in 1883 by its namesakeDutchman Wolterus Dull, at the invitation ofState President of the South African RepublicPaul Kruger, to settle Dutch immigrants. Dull, a merchant fromAmsterdam, chairman of a committee which rendered assistance to families who had suffered losses during theFirst Anglo-Boer War. The elementstroom, ‘stream’, refers to theCrocodile River nearby. The company purchased the farms Groot Suikerboschkop and Elandslaagte as the nucleus of the fledgling settlement, including housing for the settlers on the former. The village was proclaimed a town by Kruger in Dull's honor on October 9, 1893.
Settlers continued to immigrate from 1884 to 1887. By 1893, the population had reached 48 people in eight houses, served by three stables, ten cattle pens, and a small trading company and store.
While many of the men joined the rebels in theSecond Boer War, the women and children were held in theBritish concentration camp inBelfast. After theBattle of Bergendal, guerrilla fighting continued in the area for a while. During the war, the town was destroyed and most of the settlers returned to the Netherlands.
Only two buildings were left standing after the war, but some of the residents returned to rebuild the town, however. The church was rebuilt in 1905.[4] In 1921, the first city council met. Afterfly fishing, originally aNew England pastime, became popular with the wealthy residents ofJohannesburg, properties with trout dams were purchased, which are still used today.
Due to its high elevation (Dullstroom being the highest town in South Africa itself), Dullstroom has asubtropical highland climate (Köppen:Cwb). From October to April, the town sees a significant amount of rainfall (higher than nearbyJohannesburg to the west), in contrast with winter, where precipitation lacks.
Its relatively cool and temperate climate has made Dullstroom the only place in South Africa wherebeech andelm trees grow, which were originally planted by Dutch colonists.[5]
| Climate data for Dullstroom | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.9 (66.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 16.7 (62.1) | 15.8 (60.4) | 12.3 (54.1) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 13.7 (56.7) | 15.7 (60.3) | 16.3 (61.3) | 17.9 (64.2) | 15.4 (59.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) | 14.2 (57.6) | 12.6 (54.7) | 11 (52) | 9.5 (49.1) | 6.6 (43.9) | 5.9 (42.6) | 4.4 (39.9) | 9.8 (49.6) | 10.5 (50.9) | 11.8 (53.2) | 13 (55) | 10.3 (50.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10 (50) | 8.6 (47.5) | 8 (46) | 5.6 (42.1) | 3.1 (37.6) | 0.4 (32.7) | 0.2 (32.4) | −1.2 (29.8) | 3 (37) | 5.2 (41.4) | 6.6 (43.9) | 9 (48) | 4.9 (40.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 206 (8.1) | 166 (6.5) | 106 (4.2) | 98 (3.9) | 96 (3.8) | 56 (2.2) | 46 (1.8) | 66 (2.6) | 88 (3.5) | 93 (3.7) | 137 (5.4) | 168 (6.6) | 1,326 (52.3) |
| Source:[6] | |||||||||||||
Inspired by the BavarianOktoberfest, the annual Ducktober Beer Fest is a beer, food and music festival held in Dullstroom and is the highest beer festival in Southern Africa,[7] at 2,100 m (6,900 ft) above sea level. The festival is organised by Proudly Dullstroom and the inaugural event was hosted at The Duck & Trout in September 2017.[8]
The Dullstroom Winter Festival is held every July and brings the whole community together. It also attracts people from all over South Africa. Music by local South African artists is the main attraction. The festival also hosts a kid's zone for young visitors as well as food stalls, artist exhibits, and whisky pairings stands.[9]
Municipalities and communities ofNkangala District Municipality,Mpumalanga | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Middelburg | ||
| Emalahleni | .svg) | |
| Steve Tshwete | ||
| Emakhazeni | ||
| Thembisile | ||
| Dr JS Moroka | ||
| Victor Khanye | ||
