De Rust

De Rust is a small village at the gateway to the Klein Karoo, South Africa. The name is Dutch and literally translates to "The Rest", referring to the town's original purpose of being a resting place for settlers en route through the challenging terrain of a nearby Swartberg gorge.[2]

De Rust
De Rust Dutch Reformed Church
De Rust
De Rust
Coordinates: 33°28′S 22°31′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictGarden Route
MunicipalityOudtshoorn
Area
 • Total17.63 km2 (6.81 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total3,566
 • Density200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African2.5%
 • Coloured87.4%
 • Indian/Asian0.5%
 • White8.9%
 • Other0.8%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans93.6%
 • English4.1%
 • Other2.3%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
6651
PO box
6650
Area code044

Location

De Rust is located at the foot of the Swartberg Mountain range between Oudtshoorn and Beaufort West.

De Rust is also known for the meandering Meiringspoort pass. Meiringspoort is a gateway that connects the Klein Karoo (little Karoo) and the (great) Karoo through a gorge with a 25 km road crossing the same river 25 times in the span of the 25 km.[3][4] The annual Meiringspoort half marathon runs through the length of the pass and finishes in De Rust.[5]

Climate
Climate data for De Rust
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 28.3
(82.9)		 28.2
(82.8)		 26.4
(79.5)		 23.4
(74.1)		 20.1
(68.2)		 17.9
(64.2)		 17.4
(63.3)		 18.8
(65.8)		 20.5
(68.9)		 22.7
(72.9)		 24.7
(76.5)		 26.9
(80.4)		 22.9
(73.3)
Average low °C (°F) 13.7
(56.7)		 14.2
(57.6)		 13.0
(55.4)		 10.1
(50.2)		 7.3
(45.1)		 4.8
(40.6)		 3.8
(38.8)		 5.1
(41.2)		 6.6
(43.9)		 8.6
(47.5)		 10.8
(51.4)		 12.2
(54.0)		 9.2
(48.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 25
(1.0)		 31
(1.2)		 39
(1.5)		 31
(1.2)		 36
(1.4)		 23
(0.9)		 28
(1.1)		 29
(1.1)		 32
(1.3)		 32
(1.3)		 36
(1.4)		 26
(1.0)		 368
(14.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org[6]

Farming

This area is also well known for ostrich farming and most of the farmers in the area either farm exclusively with ostriches or as a sideline to their existing farming.

References
  1. "Main Place De Rust". Census 2011.
  2. "The Story of De Rust" - De Rust Heritage
  3. G. Ross: Romance of Cape Mountain Passes. New Africa Books. 2004. ISBN 0864866631, 9780864866639. p.89.
  4. Meiringspoort Pass
  5. Meiringspoort 21.1km & 12.5km
  6. "Climate: De Rust - Climate-Data.org". Retrieved 7 September 2020.
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