These magnificent cattle and sheep farms situated in the Barkley East area are a must to view !
One of the farms called Avoca is the oldest and an exceptional farm in the Barkly East district. This
magnificent property is one of the most beautiful farms in South Africa. Not only is this farm
extremely well-known for producing some of the finest sheep, wool and cattle in the country but it
also doubles up as well-regarded eco-tourism destination complete with kilometres of trout fishing,
wonderful hikes and trails through the mountains, greywing shooting, pure fast flowing mountain
streams with awesome pools in which to swim and have fun. Possibilities for expansion of the farm
into highly intensive irrigation systems are plentiful due to the abundance of water and high rainfall.
The farms straddle the Witteberg Mountain Range of the Eastern Cape.
Avoca farm consists of:
Accommodation is plentiful and is in magnificent condition on both Millerd and Avoca. The Avoca
main house is a beautiful sandstone structure with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen (with Aga
stove), lounge (with antique fireplaces), dining room and a magnificent veranda. The outbuildings
are made up of a self-contained cottage with kitchen, lounge (with beautiful fireplace), 2 bedrooms,
2 offices, laundry and veterinary remedy room. The home was built from sandstone quarried in the
area in 1908/09 and remains in very good condition as it is currently lived in by the family. The gardens are immaculately maintained, and the clay tennis court is used on many weekends for family fun and entertainment. The home is largely East facing which means that the entertainment areas are protected from the prevailing North Westerly winds.
Millerd farm consists of:
The main feature is a double story home built during the famous wool boom of 1954. It has a slate
charcoal roof with large windows and sliding doors to allow for light and ventilation. The house has 6
sunny warm bedrooms all North facing, 2 bathrooms, a large entertainment area (with antique fireplace) together with kitchen with (Aga stove), scullery and pantry. condition and have been recently painted and refurbished. The gardens and trees that surround the homesteads are a sight to behold. These are special farms. A second cottage along the bank of one of the streams that flows through the farm has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms together with kitchen, living area and a wonderful deck. This cottage is currently used by the manager of the farm however can easily be converted to be used on a bed and breakfast basis.
Water supply to the houses, garden, sheds and staff abodes are through a gravity fed system. The
source of the water emanates from one of the very many springs on the farm and is piped into a
holding reservoir. The homes and accommodation are in magnificent condition, and all have been
recently renovated and repainted.
Outbuildings have been well maintained on both farms and consist of 10 large (greater than 150
square meters) sheds that are used for various reasons that include:
Storage of lucerne and feedstuffs
Workshop space
Mixing of feeds and licks
Storage of vehicles, tractors and implements.
Shearing
Sheltering of animals in times of need (e.g., shearing)
Lambing
The sheds have all been wired for electricity and 3 phase power is available in some of the sheds
Staff quarters consist of three-roomed free-standing houses. All houses are wired for electricity and
managed through a pre-paid meter. Ablution facilities are contained in a separate ablution block
where there is hot water for showering and washing. Sanitary conditions and hygiene are good. The
staff quarters are in good condition. On Millerd there are 5 free standing homes whilst on Avoca
there are 9. Additionally, to the staff quarters near the homesteads, two outposts have been built
which house the shepherds who are responsible for different.
Veld condition can be described as good. It is described as mixed bushy grassveld with a mixture of
sweet and sour veld. Careful management over a number of years has seen significant improvement
of the palatable species These species include Rooi grass, Setaria species such as
small creeping foxtail, and Eragrostis with species such as weeping love grass and curly
leaf grass. The grazing of the natural veld is supported and improved by using the
arable lands (300 Ha) to plant lucerne, Maize, Rye Grass, Rye, oats and various other cereal crops
which are utilised in the winter months particularly. The soils are deep and fertile leading to the stock
generally being in good condition throughout the year.
The amount of arable land on Avoca and Millerd is approximately 300ha of actual land area and
approximately 380Ha of fenced off area. The rich black soils that are the characteristic of the Barkly
area are prevalent on Avoca and Millerd. Some of the lands are located on the banks of the
Diepspruit river flowing through the property meaning that the potential for irrigation is high. No
significant extra capital investment will be required to develop the system. The lands are high
yielding, have deep soils and the requirement for fertilization is limited.
All lands are well fenced off and contain suitable drinking water. Water is generally piped into the
drinking troughs from reservoirs which act as a catchment for the water piped to it from nearby
fountains. A centripetal pump can be used to augment this supply if necessary, however it is seldom
required. Currently, approximately 15ha has established lucerne and a further 12 Ha has established clover,
ryegrass pastures. The remainder of the lands are planted annually to a variety of different crops that
are mainly used to supplement the feed for animals in the winter months.
The farms are windmill-free, and all camps and lands have adequate water. There is little reliance on
pumped water as all camps are fed by natural fountains and streams. Where necessary the water
supply emanating from streams and fountains is piped into holding reservoirs which is then piped to
the points of requirement. Due to the high rainfall and also the fact that the fountains have been well
protected, it is safe to say that there is adequate water available for stock at all times of the year. In
the case of an extreme drought, water can be supplemented by pumping from the more permanent
sources or from boreholes which have been drilled but have seldomly been used.
