1 787 ha Farm in Steytlerville

Steytlerville Farm

Location

The farm is situated north west of Steytlerville with +- 45kms of gravel road. The closest large business centre is Uitenhage at 170km, and 210km from central PE and +- 50km from Steytlerville.

Size

Made up of 2 titles, the property is just over 1787ha in extent.

Description

The dramatic topography varies considerably with the main valley floor being rather wide in areas before narrowing and then opening up again and this pattern repeats itself a few times. From this central valley the property climbs rather steeply into a series of impressive mountains and some of which are bisected by narrow gorges with vertical cliff faces that tower out above the valley floor and even a few small rock pools down below in certain places.

The current owner runs the farm as a mixed stock / game unit and the farm is conservatively stocked and managed. The farm has a very pleasing diversity of habitat and topography and is traversable via a very scenic 4 x 4 road and has some beautifully wooded gorges and slopes that are home to an impressive density of kudu and klipspringer.

Veld types

The property consists mainly of semi karoo sweet veld interspersed with valley bushveld and fynbos elements at higher altitudes. Having enjoyed conservative stocking practices, the veld is in a very good condition with a good density of climax and sub climax grass species such as themida triandra, cynolodan dactylon and a number of other palatable species. Winter grazing is supplemented by a variety of edible karoo bushes and there is absolutely no sign of overgrazing because as discussed this property has been lightly stocked. In addition some excellent browse is available in the form of acacias, wild olive, jacket plum, shepherds tree, common guarri, karee and spekboom. Stands of candlewood, sneeze wood, cabbage tree and false olive are interspersed with a healthy and growing population of indigenous cycads plus an abundance of aloes. Another special find here is the Willowmore Cedar or Willowmore Cypress which is endemic to the Baviaanskloof and Kouga Mountains where it occurs on the rocky slopes and crags.

This virgin mountain area is populated with kudu, bushpig, duiker, klipspringer and mountain reedbuck.

Rainfall

The farm falls in a summer rainfall area and has an annual average of 280mm.

Improvements

The farm has a double story face-brick farm house. It has 2 bedrooms downstairs and essentially one large sleeping area upstairs that leads onto a massive wooden deck. An open-plan kitchen and dining area plus lounge and one bathroom are all downstairs.

There are also some small outbuildings plus 2 staff houses that arent occupied at present.

Power is supplied by a 12Kva single phase Bundu generator for backup power plus a 5kW inverter system for the daily household requirements.

Solar systems are used for water management with there being 2 equipped boreholes plus 2 boreholes that are not in use (one needs cleaning). Additional water for game/livestock comes from 2 fountains and various small seep lines and small permanent pools located along the rocky floor of the various drainage lines which all feed into the very seasonal stream that cuts across the valley floor of the property from west to east.

The boundary of the property is a mix of game and stock fencing and in a few parts a natural enclosure due to it being an unsurpassable sheer cliff.

Plus there is a handling facility for stock on the farm.

Conclusion

The farm would be ideally suited for an eco-based getaway designed around a family of outdoor enthusiasts or even special interest groups. Given its diversity and the vast terrain one could enjoy long hikes into the mountains and really get to explore all that this spectacular farm has to offer.