When a man hands you a business card that reads “Julian Melck: farmer, pigkiller, aviator and advocate of the High Court of SA” you know you’re in the company of someone fascinating.
I first met Melck when I played tagalong to my husband’s film crew when they shot a few scenes of one of their short films on the farm, Kersefontein, on the bank of the Berg River, just outside Hopefield on theWest Coast.
After my first visit, most of which was spent freezing to death on a dry pan while watching the antics of ant-like figures in the distance, I knew I had to return for a second look.
Kersefontein had crept into my heart. It’s not just the landscape, which is typical Sandveld, with low bossies and restios that add to the sense of remoteness I love so much. It’s also the historical legacy, for eight generations of the Melck family have farmed here since 1770, and have added to and maintained the Kersefontein manor house and its attached buildings, preserving the essence of a bygone era.
The farm’s gabled manor is in pristine condition and reflects the growth of the family over the past two centuries – full of character and filled with antiques. A dirt road runs past the homestead, lined on either side by historical outbuildings – stables for the racehorses that were once kept here – but now modified for accommodation. Guests’ children squealed in protest when mom and dad packed up to return to the city on Sunday morning, cries of “I don’t want to go!” ringing out over the misty fields.
Here prize Herefords graze verdant, oxalis-studded grass. Geese have the run of the yard, eyeing visitors with somewhat dubious sentiment as they waddle along. Feral pigs root about, a somewhat unusual sight. These are not your average pink piggy-wigs you’d expect in the farm yard, and resemble more the wild boar of Asterix and Obelix fame, complete with tusks.
Melck explains that he has habituated the feral pigs by putting down feed for them. In turn, these animals are hunted and regularly feature on the Kersefontein menu. On both occasions I’ve visited, we’ve driven into mist, which renders an ethereal landscape that slowly reveals its secrets, be it a distant grain silo or skeletal trees reaching out with their dead limbs. But it’s the sheer tranquillity of Kersefontein that is the main attraction, and the fact that this can be found in under two hours’ drive from Cape Town.
Obviously during flower season, Kersefontein sees a lot of visitors, but in my mind it’s the promise of a mid-week retreat to get away from the madness that would draw me here all year round. And while there is fantastic cellphone reception, none of the rooms have televisions to act as flickering blue nannies. Children have the run of the farm while adults can kick back and relax with a good book and a glass of wine. “The only thing I tell parents is that all animals bite and kick,” Julian tells me. For children, who probably don’t get much time for free play out-of-doors as their counterparts would have a generation or so ago, I can see where the attraction lies.
There is space to run – and really run – all over the 6 000- hectare property. Julian also remarks on how the farm children make firm friends with the visitors’ youngsters, often taking them on exploratory jaunts into the veld. What more could parents ask for, really? Apart from just getting away from it all, Kersefontein offers numerous attractions.
Avid twitchers will have more than enough species to tick off on their lists. Some wildlife can be spotted, from shy duikers and grysbok, to springbok and porcupine and, if you’re lucky, porcupine, caracal or bat-eared fox. Walks into the veld should also appeal and, with prior arrangement, supervised horseback riding is an option that occasionally results in impromptu cattle drives. Julian tempted me further by telling me of the horseback bird-watching outrides when the Berg River’s flood plain is inundated, usually during October.
Fish eagles number among the raptors regularly seen here. For those who don’t want to laze about, fishing and canoeing is an option. Even plane flips can be arranged, as there is a small airstrip nearby. Kersefontein offers guests seven rooms that can accommodate up to 15 people, with rates varying between R500 to R700 a person, children under 12 paying half. This includes a hearty breakfast. For those wanting a conference away from the city, the breakfast room can be converted and offers a cosy space for a bosberaad.
The farm itself is often in high demand with film crews but by equal measure is often a preferred destination for private individuals looking for a midweek breakaway. The work is still ongoing at Kersefontein.
Melck intends to convert an old outbuilding into a chapel – complete with an organ. His great love for this instrument and music has led him all over the country to many small towns in order to perform or just sample particular sounds. During our visit, Melck also proudly showed off his fowl run. This is not just any fowl run but one that has been reconstructed accurately according to historical records. For me it was just fantastic to see how this dynamic man is working hard to bring history to life, while paying attention to the smallest detail.
Kersefontein isn’t just a working farm, it’s a living testament to our Cape heritage in action, offering typical gasvryheid. You don’t just visit Kersefontein to get away from it all. You visit Kersefontein so that you can kuier.
Call (022) 783 0850 or 083 4541 025 or email jullian@ kersefontein.co.za. - Weekend Argus
* See www.kersefontein.co.za