15-Jul-2012 -- This Confluence was visited on 15-July-2012 by Brian Roberts, Renate Roberts, Nico Pretorius, Hester Pretorius, Richard Kukuri, and "Doctor". We had seen from the map and Google earth that this Confluence was situated on a farm but had no idea as to how to access it.

We left Windhoek early on Saturday, 14 July 2012, in the freezing cold (minus 3 degrees C), fully confident that we would be able to locate the Confluence the same day. We travelled eastwards on the B6 towards Gobabis. After about 100 km we turned left onto the C29, travelling northwards towards Steinhausen. On the way we passed several groups of kudu on the road. We were eventually abeam of the Confluence with the GPS indicating it to be about 13 km to our left in a westerly direction. However, there were no farm gates along this section, only game fence so we continued in a north-easterly direction until we crossed the Swart Nossob river and then turned left (west) and continued on the M53, hoping to reach the Confluence from a northern approach.

When we reached the Game Farm Lindenhof we decided to go in and ask for directions. We were told that we should return the way we had come and to try at the farm called Apex. We did this and eventually found the farm despite the fact that the sign pole was missing the sign! Here we met Mrs Corolla Kronsbein who told us that it was not possible to access the confluence area as the gates were locked. She told us to contact Mr Nico Pretorius on whose farm the Confluence was situated, but, as he worked and lived in Windhoek, he may not be on the farm. We decided to try anyway and travelled back along the C29 until we reached the entrance to his farm, called The Mark. When we reached the house it was clear that he was not there so we reluctantly returned to Windhoek.

That evening I phoned Mr Pretorius who was very friendly and helpful. He invited us to meet him at his farm The Mark the following morning. Once again we followed the same route, finding the entrance to the farm about 20 km from Omitara. We met Nico Pretorius who was busy attending to a burst water pipe (due to the cold weather). He introduced us to his wife Hester, and after coffee and rusks, we set off for the Confluence. We again entered via the gate to the farm Apex, then drove along the fence between the farms Apex and Nuwe Orde until we reached the gate to the farm Gumtree. We travelled across this farm in a northwesterly direction, passing the quaint but unoccupied farm house on the way. We stopped to pick up two of the farm workers, Richard Kukuri and "Doctor", then drove along the northern boundary fence until we were abeam of the Confluence (about 230 meters away).

We climbed through the fence onto the farm Nancefield, walking through grass and bushes in a northerly direction until we located the Confluence which was situated in the middle of a large bush! We had to bend and break some of the branches in order to get the GPS reading exactly on zeros.

Our grateful thanks to Nico and Hester for making this visit possible.