*Garden Route 1* Groot Brak-River - Friemersheim - Botlierskop Game Reserve

Great Brak River
It is considered by many to be unique in South Africa.
The village was started in 1859 by Charles Searle, the first toll house keeper, and since then its destiny has been closely linked to that of the Searle family and their business enterprises.
Several generations of the Searles, one of South Africa’s pioneer families, have been engaged in shoe-manufacturing. Not only did their commercial ability bring a flourishing industry to the Great Brak River Valley - this was also complemented by a sense of social responsibility.
Probably the greatest achievement of the well-known Searle family was the establishment of a prosperous, stable community in the village of Great Brak River - the “factory in a garden”.
HISTORY
The first known reference to the Great Brak River was made in 1730 when its banks were reached by the pioneering trek farmers. In 1745 the river became the eastern boundary of the Cape Colony in an area known as “De Verre Afgeleegene Districten”.
As the Cape Colony expanded northwards and eastwards during the nineteenth century, Great Brak River became a well-used outspan en route to George and further east. In 1850 a causeway was built over the Great Brak River. This consisted of 13 stone piers with 12 openings of 20 feet (6.1 m each) and was spanned with timber. This crossing became a toll bridge in 1852.
The village of Great Brak River was started in 1859 when Charles Searle brought his family to the then virtually unknown rural settlement alongside the flood prone river. He was appointed to operate and collect the toll which provided not only for his wellbeing, but also for the cost of maintaining the crossing.
Travellers often needed their shoes (veldskoens) repaired. Charles Searle saw an opportunity and established a small shoe factory which eventually became a dynamic industry, allowing the village to grow extensively.
Info from : Greatbrak.info
Friedersheim
Friemersheim is a settlement in Garden Route District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa
A small agricultural community about 15 km from Groot-Brakrivier, Friemersheim was founded by a German missionary in the early nineteenth century.[2] In 1869, through the efforts of Reverend Johann Kretzen of the Berliner Missionary Society, a school and church were built on the farm Gonnakraal, which Kretzen had bought for his sister.[2]
After his sister's death in 1872, he bequeathed the farm to the Dutch Reformed Missionary Society, and later it was renamed Friemersheim, after Kretzen's town of birth in Germany. It remained in the ownership of the Dutch Reformed Church until the 1960s, when it was sold to the state.
Info: Wikipedia
Botlierskop
With the magnificent Outeniqua Mountains as a backdrop and sweeping views out over the glistening Indian Ocean below, lies Botlierskop Private Game Reserve. Just 4.5 hours’ drive from Cape Town, it’s midway between Mossel Bay and George, on South Africa’s scenic Garden Route.
Come and share the bounty and breathtaking beauty this 4,200 hectare reserve has to offer. Botlierskop Game Reserve will ensure you enjoy a uniquely South African Safari Experience, with a range of luxury accommodation from sumptuous tented lodges and stately manor suites to spectacular, self-catering villas and an entire village built with children in mind. This gracious family-owned and privately-operated game reserve is malaria-free and home to four of the Big 5 (lion, elephant, buffalo and
rhino) as well as cheetahs and a host of antelope, including rare black impala, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, hippo and more.
Spend a memorable day - or come and stay. Day visitors are as welcome as overnight guests at Botlierskop with a range of activities from safari game drives, horseback safaris, pampering spa therapies, restaurant options, children’s activities, spacious decks and swimming pools, there truly is something for everyone.
Info : www.botlierskop.co.za

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Great video
Thank you for sharing