History

The farm dates to the 1890s, when, it is thought, Hendrik Abraham Alberts leased 114 acres from the owner of the large farm Waterval. The original farmhouse is long gone, but the family cemetery exists, a lonely, fenced presence in the parkland.

It is a tranquil spot, standing among the trees with a gentle breeze blowing up the valley. There is no trace of any cultivated fields, although it’s said the Albert’s family farmed mealies.

In 1946 the family sold 45 000 square metres of land to the City, for £18 500, specifying that the land must be kept for public use.

East of the wooded area are unusual rock formations, which are believed relate to the Vredefort Dome at Parys, 100 kilometres south of Joburg. The dome is a vast basin formed when a meteorite hit the earth some two billion years ago.