By the fountain once known to all,
A short pipe stands against the wall,
Fill it up and watch the float,
The cache will climb like a tiny buoy.
BYOP; CITO
All geocachers must follow the Gardens' and site’s rules and be considerate of other garden visitors.
The water supply to George historically depended on a furrow system and dams located within what is now the Garden Route Botanical Gardens. The first furrow to supply water was dug in 1811 by Adrianus Gysbertus van Kervel, the founder of George, to supply the first thirty-six plots with water. This furrow originally diverted water from the Rooirivier (Red River), and later a weir was constructed at the Camphersdrift River to enhance the supply. The original furrows and storage dam still exist in the Garden Route Botanical Gardens today. The main dam was built as the original water reservoir for George around 1811 and served the town's early water needs by diverting mountain stream water through the furrow system into these dams.
The water system is notable for its earth-fill dam built by a cut-to-fill method, which captures and stores water sourced from the furrows. This historical water transfer system was critical for the town's development, as George's water supply came from mountain streams in the Outeniqua mountains. The dams and furrow infrastructure functioned together to ensure a reliable water source before modern municipal systems were established. The Garden Route Botanical Gardens now preserves these dams and waterworks as part of the town’s heritage, with the site managed by the Garden Route Botanical Garden Private Trust in collaboration with the George Municipality's Parks and Recreation Department.
Thus, the furrow and dams at the Garden Route Botanical Gardens represent an early and enduring water supply system essential to George’s founding and growth, reflecting over two centuries of water resource management by diverting and storing fresh mountain water for the town.
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