George
At the foot of the picturesque Outeniqua Mountains lies George, quite central in the Southern Cape, and the Garden Route, some 10 kilometres away from the sea.
The beginnings of the town date back to the year 1776, when the Dutch-East Indian Trading Company established a timber supply base. But officially the town was only founded in 1811 by the British who named the place after the then king George III.
George grew very slowly initially, mainly because roads viable for ox wagons were missing and hardly accessible because of the Outeniqua Mountain range. Only with the opening of the pass in the year 1847 did trade with the inland develop, and George began to flourish.
Three of South Africa's "top ten" golf courses are found in George. Fancourt Golf Estate is particularly popular with its 18-hole course designed by Gary Player. George has a population of 140,000 and a modern airport 8 kilometres from town. To the north lies Oudtshoorn and the Cango Caves are just 45 min; to the East - Knysna is 45 min. and to the West; Mossel Bay is 30min!
