Road Tripper Eastern Cape Karoo
Tales from Die Tuishuise, Cradock
Dec
The first time we met the incredible Sandra Antrobus of Die Tuishuise and Victoria Manor, she took us on a tour of her 30-odd lovingly restored candy-stripe cottages, built in the 1840s for a large community of frontier artisans.
After seeing the vast array of antiques, collectibles and period-true items in cottages with names like Butlers, Karoo Morning, Die Werf, Die Opstal and May’s House, we asked her:
“Do guests ever grow long fingers and make off with your stuff?”
“No,” she replied. “In fact, it’s the other way around – they leave things behind.
“False teeth, an entire suitcase full of travelling clothes and a full wallet – that’s the tally so far. The guy with the wallet said hold on to it until we come through again. That’s because his wife’s credit card was in there, and he reckoned she’d spend less this way.”
There’s always a story to tell on Market Street, where the venerable establishment on the corner transports you on a Victorian-era nostalgia trip, complete with groaning dinner tables laden with a Karoo lamb dish, venison with cranberry sauce and sugared pumpkin.
Caution: the supper plates are often hot, so you are advised to bring your napkin to the buffet table.
- This is an excerpt from Road Tripper – Eastern Cape Karoo by Chris Marais & Julienne du Toit.
- When you stay over at Die Tuishuise and Victoria Manor, don’t forget to ask Sandra Antrobus or her daughters Lisa or Cherie to sign their page. There could be gifts in the offing.
