Location
This property is situated on the Krom River just south of the Elandsjacht (Mpofu) dam and approximately 20km south west of Humansdorp.

Size
Made up of a single title it is just over 37ha in extent.

Description
If one was to picture a boutique, retirement farm, in my mind it would probably lie at the foot of the Hottentots Holland, or above Franschoek, and yet here it is, scarcely 100km from Port Elizabeth. From the upper lying plateau one sees this very picturesque, well laid out venture. Set on a very gentle slope, the farm house and two luxurious cottages are tucked away in between the two streams (one is more seasonal) that have their origin on the farm and feed into the Krom River. The meandering Krom River forms the front boundary while as one climbs in elevation from the floodplain then well wooded valleys give rise to a plateau that wraps around from the northern to the western boundary. Coupled with the intensive agricultural potential and the eco-tourism venture, it becomes a spectacular place to live that should more than pay its own way.

Veld types
At higher altitude there is the typical mix of sourveld and false fynbos which the current owner has started slashing. In its current state it would probably support small stock at a rate of 1 SSU – 1.5ha. Planted to perennial pastures like digitaria, one could increase the carrying capacity. This, together with a fair amount of grazing along the valley floor plus the clearings around the homestead supports a limited level of stock farming.
The farm also displays some available browse on its slopes in the form of pockets of indigenous valley bushveld with tree species such as guarri, wild olive and “taaibos” (Rhus) which are well utilized by the resident browsers.
The 2 drainage line sections and the river itself, all have some beautiful valley forest and not too much in the way of alien trees but this serves as a useful supply of firewood. Forest tree species include: yellowwood, white stinkwood, forest elder and milkwood to name just a few.

Rainfall / water
The farm falls in a predominately winter rainfall area, although historically some rain is expected in most calendar months with an annual average of approximately 690mm. The larger of the two drainage lines has a stream that was running strongly at the time of my visit, and I would imagine that it would run through most years. There is one small earth dam along this stream plus a second dam near the top of the property.
An important factor here is the registered water allocation directly out of the Krom River from which all of the existing irrigation is supplied and there is definite scope to expand thereon.

Improvements
As referred to earlier, the property is very well developed. In total there is the main house , 2 cottages, garage/workshop, small storeroom and staff house. The main residence is a large, three bedroom wooden home with two bathrooms and open plan lounge, dining room, large kitchen with separate pantry and scullery. There are two lovely covered decks (one with braai area) overlooking the valley near the confluence of the two streams with the Krom River. Outside there is the garage/workshop as well as an outbuilding divided into 3 storerooms.
The two identical cottages are used for self-catering accommodation and each offer: spacious bedroom with open sitting area and kitchen area plus large bathroom. Sliding doors lead onto a private viewing deck complete with built in braai and wood fired hot tub.
The nursery (not in current use) consists of a shade cloth structure which measures 30x15m plus there’s an adjoining area of 30x15m which has shade cloth on the sides but not the roof. The vege operation is conducted on an approximately 1ha block located directly behind the nursery and currently supplies nearby outlets. There is ample space and water to grow the area under irrigation if one so chose. This would catapult it into the realms of a fully commercial venture.
The entire property is enclosed with a good condition stock fence.

Game
Smaller antelope such as blesbuck, bushbuck, duiker (grey plus blue) and grysbok are currently found on the property.

Conclusion
Within 100km of PE and easy striking distance of Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay, this farm is very well situated. Currently the farm is best described as novel. Although it has a very tidy income indeed, it was developed more as a passion and retirement plan, than a commercial venture. That said however, it has all the ingredients to become a serious money spinner, and with the water and arable soils in place, plus the eco-tourism prospects it would not take too much to unlock this potential even further. Obviously this would be the prerogative of the buyer and regardless of whether one pursued the full potential or not, it would remain a stunning place to live that more than pays its own bills and with the ease of access it is tough to beat.

Price R 5.95 million + VAT if payable
(The current owner is VAT registered and the farm may be bought as a zero rated going concern by a VAT registered purchaser. A separate going concern price plus optional equipment and livestock is available on request). Read more...