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the Degree Confluence Project
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South Africa : Western Cape

12.3 km (7.6 miles) SW of Bonnievale, Western Cape, South Africa
Approx. altitude: 218 m (715 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 34°N 160°W

Accuracy: 30 m (98 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View from the South #3: View from the  West #4: View from the North #5: View from the East #6: GPS Reading #7: Ground Zero #8: The Confluence Hunters #9: The Nearby Farmer

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  34°S 20°E (visit #5)  

#1: The Confluence from 30 m Distance

(visited by Rainer Mautz and Elionora)

07-Feb-2021 -- On the 5th of December 2020 I flew to Namibia for a bicycle trip. On the 24th of December I met Elionora in South Africa. After a 12-day vacation, we decided not to return to Zurich, but rather stay in Cape Town for a while. We currently live in a fully equipped rental house in Camps Bay and enjoy the summer of the southern hemisphere. Shops, Restaurants and touristic facilities are open in South Africa. Spending time here is by far the better option considering the full lockdown situation in Europe.

While working during the week, we have time to make excursions on the weekends. This Saturday, we visited the Bontebok National Park (the smallest of South Africa’s 21 National Parks) and spent the night in a hotel in Swellendam.

The next afternoon, we drove the remaining 50 km to the confluence point. My plan was to access the confluence point from the Skyroo Cottages, because I assumed that the confluence was on their ground – as I could tell from the tracks in the satellite image. From the entrance of the Cottages, it is 400 m straight line to the confluence. However, nobody was answering our bell ringing and the gate was locked.

Therefore, we made an alternative plan. Instead of approaching from the south, we directly came from the east, where a track follows up to a distance of 150 m to the confluence and ends at two simple farmers’ houses. We parked in front of one a farmhouse. The farmer gave us permission to walk behind his house – also I wasn’t sure if the land actually belongs to him.

We encountered a fence at a minimal distance of 30 m to the confluence. I am pretty sure that the land of confluence belongs to the Skyroo Cottages. But for us 30 m was good enough. The confluence is covered with scattered dry bushes and bare soil. Next to the confluence is a huge water reservoir.

If you want to reach the exact coordinate zero, you need to ask for permission at the Skyroo Cottages. Otherwise, you can directly access the 100 m zone.

After the confluence visit, we had a stopover at the Winary Nuy on the hill near Worcester and another one at the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden. In the evening we returned to Cape Town where I am now writing those lines.

CP Visit Details:

  • Distance to a road: 400 m
  • Distance to a track: 150 m
  • Distance of car parking: 200 m
  • Time to reach the confluence from the car: 5 min
  • Time at the confluence: 14:00 PM
  • Measured height: 209 m
  • Minimal distance according to GPS: 30 m
  • Position accuracy: 2 m
  • Topography: hilly
  • Weather: mostly sunny, 29° C (felt temperature)
  • Given Name: The Locked Cottages Confluence


 All pictures
#1: The Confluence from 30 m Distance
#2: View from the South
#3: View from the West
#4: View from the North
#5: View from the East
#6: GPS Reading
#7: Ground Zero
#8: The Confluence Hunters
#9: The Nearby Farmer
ALL: All pictures on one page