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Conference Venues South Africa brings you information on Augrabies situated in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa including information on Facilities and Recreation, Climate, Founding, History Suburbs, Town Planning and Geography

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Information on Augrabies, Northern Cape, South Africa

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About Augrabies, Northern Cape, South Africa

Augrabies/) is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, situated on the south bank of the Orange River about 100 kilometres downstream from Upington. It is located on the R359 road just outside the Augrabies Falls National Park, which contains the Augrabies Falls for which the town is named.

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Few sights are as awesome or a sound as deafening as water thundering down the 56-m Augrabies Waterfall when the Orange River is in full flood.

The Khoi people called it ‘Aukoerebis’, or place of Great Noise, as this powerful flow of water is unleashed from rocky surroundings characterized by the 18-km abyss of the Orange River Gorge. Picturesque names such as Moon Rock,

Ararat and Echo Corner are descriptive of this rocky region. Klipspringer and kokerboom (quiver trees) stand in stark silhouette against the African sky, silent sentinels in a strangely unique environment where only those that are able to adapt ultimately survive.

The 28 000 hectares on both the northern and southern sides of the Orange River provide sanctuary to a diversity of species, from the very smallest succulents, birds and reptiles to springbok, gemsbok and the endangered black rhino.

Augrabies Falls

The Augrabies Falls is a waterfall on the Orange River, South Africa, within the Augrabies Falls National Park. The falls are around 60m in height. The original Khoikhoi residents named the waterfall Ankoerebis, "place of big noises", from which the Trek Boers, who settled here later on, derived the name Augrabies.

The falls have recorded 7,800 cubic metres of water every second in floods in 1988 (and 6,800 cubic metres in the floods of 2006). This is over three times the average high season flow rate of Niagara Falls of 2,400 cubic metres per second, more than four times Niagara's annual average, and greater than Niagara's all time record of 6,800 cubic metres per second. The gorge at the Augrabies Falls is 240 m deep and 18 km long, and is an impressive example of granite erosion.

Augrabies Falls National Park

Augrabies Falls National Park is a national park located around the Augrabies Falls, about 120 km west of Upington in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. It was established in 1966.

The Augrabies Falls National Park covers an area of 820 km² and stretches along the Orange River. The area is very arid. The waterfall is about 60 metres high and is awe-inspiring when the river is in flood. The gorge below the falls averages about 240 m deep and runs for 18 kilometres. The gorge provides an impressive example of erosion into a granitic basement.

The original Khoikhoi people named the waterfall Ankoerebis, meaning the "place of big noises". The Trekboers who later settled in the area derived the name Augrabies. The name is sometimes spelt Aughrabies.

There are many deposits of alluvial diamonds along the Orange River and legend has it that the biggest cache of diamonds in the world lies in the swirl-hole eroded into the granite at the foot of the waterfall by the thundering waters.

The most characteristic plant in the park is the giant aloe (Aloe dichotoma) known locally as the quiver tree or kokerboom. It is perfectly adapted to the dry semi-desert rocky areas found in the Nama-Karoo, able to withstand the extreme temperatures and the infertile soil. This tree, which grows up to five metres high, gets its name from the fact that the Bushmen (San) used the soft branches to make quivers for their arrows. The eye-catching silhouette of the quiver tree is typical of this part of Northern Cape landscape. When the tree flowers in the winter flocks of birds are attracted to their copious nectar, and baboons can be seen tearing the flowers apart to get the sweet liquor.

Towns and Suburbs of the Northern Cape province of South Africa

Augrabies , Colesberg , Kimberley , Springbok , Upington

 

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