Botrivier Origins: Compagnes Drift -> Beaumont
The cache, a camo-taped bison tube, is hidden at a restored old watermill in the grounds of this beautiful family-owned wine estate on the eastern edge of the small Overberg town of Botrivier.
Opening times are: Mon-Fri 09h30-16h30 Sat 10h00-15h00.
Thanks are due to the owners of Beaumont for their kind permission to place the cache.
Cache directions
From the west (Cape Town): take the N2 to the junction with Hoof Way @ S 34 13.363 E 19 11.287 and follow this eastwards to the entrance to the vineyard @ S 34 13.546 E 19 12.428.
From the south (Kleinmond or Hermanus):follow the R43 / Hoof Way to the entrance gate as above.
From the east (Caledon): take the N2 / R43 to the exit ramp @ S 34 14.134 E 19 12.507. At the junction turn right onto the R43 (Hoof Way) and follow this to the entrance.
Once conveniently parked, make your way the short distance down the track to the old mill cottage and waterwheel cache location.
Some History
Many towns and villages in the Overberg grew up around a church and from there areas were surveyed, sold and developed - growing from tiny settlements to fully formed towns.
In Botrivier things were a little different. Considered the gateway to the Overberg, this village came into being on the Compagnes Drift farm situated at the base of the Houk Hoek pass on the drift across the Botrivier used by early travellers into the Overberg. It was established by the Honourable Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1750, as part of the third frontier - meaning soldiers were stationed in the area to monitor the flow of the travellers coming into the Overberg.
The farm grew in the 1700s and the settlement soon became established as an important trading station for the VOC where travellers bartered for fresh meat and milk with the Khoisan and local farmers before heading eastwards. An especially popular trade item was butter (Afrikaans: ‘botter’) which led to the naming of the town.
Compagnes Drift is a huge part of Botrivier heritage. It was first owned by Josias de Kock and from 1778 offered overnight accommodation to many of the travellers passing through the area and into the Overberg. It was a natural resting place to refresh horses and oxen after making the journey over the Houw Hoek mountain range and was also part of the Old Cape Wagon Track route for generations. Thereafter, the Bot River Hotel was built during the early 1890s and became the traditional stopover location. The railway line was constructed through the town in 1902 further increasing the need for accommodation.
In the 1940s wine production started at the farm but this ceased in the late 1960s. Compagnes Drift had become smaller and smaller over the years, and was eventually sold to Raoul and Jayne Beaumont in 1974.
This became another key part of Botrivier history, as much time, money and effort was spent to replant the old vineyards, restore the old cellar, and
begin making what eventually became award-winning red and white wines for the local and export market.
The name of the farm was changed to Beaumont as part of the property’s revival and it became a vital part of bringing wine-makers from far and wide to the fertile valleys of Botrivier.
Beaumont didn’t focus only on vineyards, but also joined in the area’s main agricultural activity – growing onions. This was a major export for Botrivier for over a century. Surrounded by fynbos with abundant birdlife, the farm now also grows pears, almonds and olives.
The farm has typical traditional Overberg architecture with barns and homesteads authentically white-washed with black tin-roofs. Two of the original buildings have been restored as holiday cottages. The estate has taken considerable trouble to restore and maintain the 
original water mill – the oldest working in the region – and one of the oldest in the country. According to historical writings left by travellers in the area, this dates back to the early 1800s. See here for more photos of the mill and information on how it was got working again in 2007. See here for a fascinating and detailed blog on the restoration of the mill.
Overlooking the original cellar and homestead is a sloping wheat field, which is harvested ceremoniously in annual Field to Loaf festivities. The grains are then milled on the farm to produce stone-ground flour.