VISIT AN OPEN AIR MUSEUM PAYING TRIBUTE TO WINDMILLS
Take a trip to Loeriesfontein to celebrate the contribution that Windmills have on farming.
Time to travel to the Upper Karoo in the Northern Cape, to visit the town of Loeriesfontein where we explore the open-air Fred Turner Museum that pays tribute to the contribution windmills have played in our farming heritage.
Once there, it’s hard to ignore the metallic choir of the windmills that give this very quiet town its distinctive sound.
Elna Brand, Curator at the Fred Turner Museum, welcomes us for a tour of the museum founded in 1976 and now housed in the old Baptist Church.
“The windpump played a very important role in the development of the farming industry in this area. It made the area habitable for farmers of that time,” explains Elna.
By pumping water these seemingly simple inventions made farming possible in arid parts of our country.
The museum recognises the role they’ve played, and is one of only two of its kind in the world.It is home to 30 wind pumps, many of which are imported from Canada, England and the U.S.A., with the oldest dating back to the 1880’s.
The flower season in the surrounding area brings tourists to see the immaculate displays of nature and it’s mostly during this time that the museum is open.
This display of history helps breathe life into the small town, creating intrigue as one of our country’s many hidden gems.
