Clanwilliam Dam Panorama
The cache is hidden at a viewpoint giving wonderful panoramic views of this large dam and adjacent mountains south of Clanwilliam.
To find the cache, you will need to complete the jigsaw puzzle accessed by clicking on the image above. On completion, as well as receiving a congratulatory message, the cache coordinates and a hint will be revealed!
"The link to the website has not been checked by Groundspeak nor by the reviewer for possible malicious content and access to the site is therefore at your own risk"
To reach the cache location:
From the south (Algeria): after descending Uitkyk Pass take the dirt road starting 400m west of Algeria @ S 32 22.400 E 19 3.375 and follow this through Jamaka and lovely farmland for about 24km to the cache location adjacent to a large parking area.
From the north (Clanwilliam): take Ou Kaapseweg heading south out of the town from its junction with Hoof St and Park St @ S 32 10.847 E 18 53.624 and follow this to the cache location some 6.5km away.
Clanwilliam Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Olifants River, lying between the Olifants River Mountains to the west and the Cederberg Mountains to the east.
It was built in 1935, and the wall raised by 6m to its current height of 43m in 1964. Its main purpose is to provide irrigation water to the agricultural region downstream.
It is around 10km long and approx. 3km across at the widest point. It has a capacity of 122.5 Mm3. See here for current levels. The volume of water in the dam shows marked seasonal variation – see Gallery photos.
The Olifants river is a large perennial river flowing northwards from the Winterhoek Mountains north of Ceres to the Atlantic Ocean near Lutzville. The area around the dam is rich in Stone Age artefacts and much work has been done in recent years to investigate sites and document findings before the dam level rises (as described below) to flood these permanently. See here for a comprehensive research report on this work.
After a successful feasibility study, and after long delays (see July 2014 article here and May 2018 newsclip here) in October 2018 work finally began on raising the dam wall by 13m. The purpose is to improve the safety of the structure to comply with best practice dam safety standards – coupled with the increase in annual yield of the dam by 69.5 Mm3 part of which will be assigned to help disadvantaged farmers.
After prolonged delays the project is expected to be completed in March 2023 at an estimated cost of R3.5 million. See short video here of the symbolic start of the work. It will provide enough additional water to irrigate a further 5,500 hectares of farmland.
Practically, it means an entirely new wall is being built up against the existing one, just 13m higher. The original wall was built in 1935 and also requires maintenance work to sustain its integrity. This project will address those concerns too.
The first phase of the project involving relocation of a 1km stretch of the N7 highway (including construction of a large new bridge) adjacent to the dam to a higher level was completed recently.
The dam is a popular location for water sports such as swimming, water-skiing (see here), and stand-up paddling. It is also one of the best sites in the country for catching small-mouth bass attracting fishermen from far and wide to try their hand at catching these fish. Other fish found in the dam include bluegill sunfish, large-mouth bass and the occasional Clanwilliam yellowfish.
See here for a short 2009 video showing 6 sluice gates open on the dam wall and here for a September 2018 newsclip showing the dam full again after a serious drought.