Hedianga Farm

Hedianga Farm

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Mountain Biking, Trail Running, Dog walking, chilling venue in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, South Africa. Weekend coffee bar available The MuffinTin I. E. Hey!

Hedianga Farm

Mountain Biking, Trail running, Hiking, Dog Walking, Birding, Orienteering, Chilling. Now open seven days a week
6.00 am - 6.30pm
including
Public Holidays! Hedianga Farm offers an exciting mountain biking, trail running, birding, and dog walking experience on the “Bronberge” Range! Directions:

GPS Co-ordinates as per Google Maps: -25.806819, 28.350426

From Menlyn Shopping centre

Photos from Centurion Hiking Club's post 25/08/2026
11/08/2026

This weekend!! Register now via HERD’s link in their bio and come join us this Sunday for a 2km|5km|10km|15km with exhibitors and prizes, and coffee and treats

10/08/2026

Blueberry skies 🤍

Sunrise views on the way to the farm





Photos from Hedianga Farm's post 09/08/2026

Early mornings are getting slightly lighter earlier again, and we’re here for jt🌄

Photos from Hedianga Farm's post 04/08/2026

August 🤍🌾🌄

01/08/2026

🪴

28/07/2026

VERGELEGEN
Soon after Willem Adriaan VAN DER STEL succeeded his father, Simon, as governor of the Cape in 1700, he was granted land outside Cape Town by deed of grant on 01 February 1700, signed by the visiting Commissioner VALCKENIER. He called it Vergelegen (situated far away). It took three days by ox-wagon to reach the farm on the slopes of the Hottentots Holland mountain range.

Willem had vines planted, as well as fruit orchards and orange groves, camphor and oak trees. There were about 1,000 cattle and 1,800 sheep on the farm. Reservoirs were built and irrigation canals dug. A Cape Dutch homestead was built, along with other buildings. The five camphor trees at the front entrance of the homestead were declared a national monument in 1942. In 1706 Willem was found guilty of corrupt practices and was ordered back to the Netherlands.

In 1709, the estate was sold and divided into four farms – Vergelegen, Lourensford, Morgenster and Cloetenburg.

During the 1770s, Jacobus MALAN, son of Daniel MALAN of Morgenster, owned the farm. When he died in 1778, his daughter Sara Catharina MALAN inherited Vergelegen. She married Marthinus Wilhelmus THEUNISSEN and the farm was registered in his name in 1798. In 1816, the Theunissen family built a cellar which now houses the library. After Marthinus wrote a letter to Lord Charles SOMERSET, the village was named Somerset West. The estate stayed in the Theunissen family, passing from father to son, until 1899 when it was sold to Sir James SIVEWRIGHT.

Sivewright sold to Samuel KERR on 29 March 1901 for £11,404. Kerr was an Irishman who had made his money on the diamond fields. He made alterations to the homestead that destroyed many of the original features. He also owned six surrounding properties from 1899. He had eight children and the family hosted many parties and picnics at the estate. He died in April 1905 and was buried at the estate, the only owner to have been buried there. His grave is close to the grave of a slave, Flora, whose remains were discovered and unearthed in October 1990 after excavations at the estate took place. Her remains were tested and were found to be those of a slave woman in her fifties from a tropical region. Her reburial took place on 06 April 1991 at Vergelegen.

The next owner was Sir Lionel PHILLIPS, who bought the estate for his wife, Florence. They spent vast sums of money on the restoration and upgrade of the estate. The architect Percy WALGATE was appointed to restore, refurbish and extend the homestead. The 1816 cellar was converted into a library for her husband's book collection. Florence was an art lover and became a benefactor to young artists such as Gwelo GOODMAN and Irma STERN.

In June 1941, Charles BARLOW bought Vergelegen and its contents at auction. His wife, Cynthia, added to the furniture and art collections. The family started a Jersey cattle herd (later replaced by Frieslands), planted peach orchards and replanted vines. Vergelegen is home to an International Camellia Garden of Excellence – one of only two in the southern hemisphere, and the only one in Africa. Most of these camellias were planted by Cynthia.

In October 1987, the estate was sold to Anglo American Farms. The first meeting of the ANC caucus took place at Vergelegen in May 1990 before the estate was opened to the public. In 2019, Vergelegen was declared a provincial heritage site.
Photo: Vergelegen entrance in 1898
Copyright 2026 South African Researcher – Family History & Heritage. Please don’t steal my content. I work hard to research and produce this original content (not AI). If you’d like to share my work, please use the post's share option.

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Location

Telephone

Address


Plot 85 Achilles Drive Olympus
Pretoria
0081

Opening Hours

Monday 06:00 - 18:30
Tuesday 06:00 - 18:30
Wednesday 09:00 - 18:30
Thursday 06:00 - 17:00
Friday 06:00 - 18:30
Saturday 06:00 - 18:30
Sunday 06:00 - 17:00