Plattekloof Pass was the second oldest mountain pass in the Langeberg/Outeniqua mountain range used by European traders, travellers and farmers crossing from the southern coastal plains to Kannaland. Situated north of Riversdale and Heidelberg in the Southern Cape, it was in use from the early 1700s until 1841 when it was replaced by the Gysmanshoek Pass. Thereafter Plattekloof Pass fell into complete disuse, so much so that it was soon forgotten. From the 1960s up to the present day, several travel and history writers allege that Gysmanshoek Pass was built on the route of the old Plattekloof Pass, this in spite of the fact that there was some evidence that the Plattekloof Pass had been west of the Plattekloof River, a branch of the Duivenhoks River, while Gysmanshoek Pass is east of the river. Based on the history of construction of mountain passes in South Africa, records kept by 18th century travellers, the topography of the area and Google Earth views, and a report by researchers from BartoIomeu Dias Museum in Mossel Bay, the author shows that Plattekloof Pass and Gysmanshoek Pass are two separate passes. The first follows a route over the mountain west of the Plattekloof River, the latter is east of the river. Both are of historical significance, and add to the interesting history of the Southern Cape.
1. Introduction
Attaquaskloof Pass north of Mossel Bay is the oldest mountain pass in the Langeberg/Outeniqua range used by European travellers to travel from the coastal plains to the...
