12/11/2025
The Story of Grabouw🦉
Grabouw is a town in the Elgin Valley, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town. The area was originally inhabited by Khoikhoi pastoralists. European settlement began in the 19th century.
A Post Office was established at Palmiet River on 1 January 1846, likely near a ford marked by a small bridge called Oude Brug, built in 1811. The Postmaster position became vacant in 1849 and was not filled for eight years. In 1852, a more substantial bridge was built upstream.
In 1856, Wilhelm Langschmidt, a painter and trader, purchased a farm called Palmiet. He laid out a village on the site and named it Grabouw, after his hometown in Germany. The town grew around trading stores and ox-wagon stopovers, including the historic Houw Hoek Inn.
Agriculture has always been central to Grabouw’s development. In the early 1900s, the Molteno family helped establish deciduous fruit farming, turning the Elgin Valley into a major exporter of apples and pears. Kathleen Murray, a cousin of the Moltenos, was one of the first female pioneers in the area, expanding from beekeeping into poultry, pig, and fruit farming.
Sir Antonie Viljoen also played a key role. In 1908, he planted vines at Oak Valley, becoming the first commercial producer of deciduous fruit in the region. He also introduced black wattle for charcoal production and served in the Cape Parliament after participating in the Anglo-Boer War.
In 1966, Edward Lombardi launched the soft drink Appletiser on his farm, Applethwaite. More recently, the Elgin Valley has developed a wine industry, now home to over 18 wine farms producing cool climate wines.
