02/04/2026
Stepping off the Blue Train and onto the Matjiesfontein platform felt as though I were walking straight into a time capsule. Into a village that seems to have largely remained unchanged since the late 19th century.
Founded in 1884 by Scottish entrepreneur
James Logan, Matjiesfontein was transformed from a remote railway stop somewhere between Beaufort West and Worcester into a health resort that attracted those in search of the fresh, crisp air of the Great Karoo, during a time when England had rapidly become the big smog.
As I walked down the 200-metre-long main road (Logan Street), I passed Olive Schreiner Cottage, where the renowned author and feminist lived for two years from 1890. She came here in search of relief from her chronic asthma and probably stayed for the middle-of-nowhere peace and quiet while penning Thoughts on South Africa. Luckily the post office was right next door. It was here that she hosted the likes of Rudyard Kipling. And today, you can overnight in her cottage, which forms a part of the famous Lord Milner Hotel.
The entire village was declared a National Monument in 1970. It's a living (and breathing) monument to South Africa's heritage with its Neo-Gothic architecture and Victorian wrought-iron details preserved against the stillness of the Karoo.
It was only after we had boarded the Blue Train that I thumbed through my drone photos and realised that the train was longer than the entire historic village with its pink church, hotel, trading store and museums standing shoulder-to-shoulder to wave visitors hello.
