Olive Farm, Gamka Eco Estate, near Calitzdop, Klein Karoo

This is a dream come true: the Olive Farm comprises a 34.3ha farm set on an eco-estate near Calitzdorp on the banks of the Gamka River overlooking the Swartberg and Rooiberg mountains of the Klein Karoo, also known as the Little Karoo. Planted with 1 000 vines and 100 mature olive trees that have just borne an abundant harvest, it’s a magical opportunity to own your own working Karoo farm.

This is a very special part of the world… untouched for years as it’s accessible only by one road that descends into this valley off Route 62, only 8kms from Calitzdorp, or around four hours’ drive from Cape Town or an hour away from George Airport. Quick airport access makes it easily accessible for upcountry owners who can work remotely or come here for long weekends from Joburg or Pretoria, but it’s equally possible to opt for a lifestyle change and live here permanently… once here, it’s easy to understand why it’s so appealing to work remotely in this beautiful valley surrounded by spectacular scenery.

Gamka Eco Estate

There are 17 other properties on the Gamka Eco Estate, each with spectacular views of the Rooiberg and Swartberg. Having neighbouring farms as part of the Gamka Eco Estate offers added security and an opportunity to farm alongside like-minded owners. Nature lovers will find hiking and mountain bike trails that criss-cross the area and will enjoy access to a private section of the Gamka River, which means that there’s a beautiful spot for swimming or kayaking when not cooling off in the swimming pool at Olive House.

The Olive Farm is idyllic for family holidays year-round as there’s so much for kids to experience and learn from a farm stay, whether it’s identifying the call of a fish eagle or helping with the harvest or taking walks and hikes through this unspoilt Karoo estate as a family. Rocks in the area date back 750 million years and time spent here through the seasons reveals an area rich in geological history. You’ll constantly discover ancient fossilized shells on your walks.

With a river running through it, the Gamka valley is home to plentiful birdlife as well as antelope such as klipspringer, duiker and even eland, red hartebeest and kudu. Caracals, jackals and porcupines are regular visitors and Cape leopards sometimes sighted.

Wine and Olives

The vineyards are made up of 500 Pinotage vines and 500 Shiraz, and the harvest is sent to Calitzdorp’s renowned Axe Hill winery. The most recent harvest yielded 1 085kg grapes and about 850 bottles of wine under the Spekboom label. The wines are sent to winemaker Mike Neebe, who has been making wines at Axe Hill, the world-renowned winery in Calitzdorp, since 2008.

The first proper olive harvest took place this year and produced a yield of 600kg of olives off the 100 Mission Olive trees. This produced 70 litres of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and 180kg of table olives, currently in the brine and to be bottled under the Spekboom label.

Off-grid paradise

The farm house is fully off-grid with solar and 30Kw lithium batteries, a generator, plus two boreholes, 20 000-litre water storage in four tanks, and solar installed for the main borehole. There’s a farm dam (in 110ml corrugated iron) for additional water. Protective netting for vines will be sold with the property.

Specs:

• Erf Size: 34.3 ha
• Dwelling size: 377 m²
• 4 bedrooms (en-suite)
• 4 bathrooms
• Lounge
• Dining room
• Study
• Family room
• Swimming pool
• 500 Pinotage vines
• 500 Shiraz vines
• 100 Mission olive trees
• 2 garages
• 8Kva gas generator
• 2 boreholes
• Solar installation and 30Kw lithium batteries
• Bird netting
• Water tanks (4 x 5000 litre)

For the property brochure, please click here

For more information on Perfect Hideaways Invest, please click here

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