A FEW years ago I was living in Zululand and we had just experienced the hottest and muggiest summer in memory. We decided to take a week’s leave after the Christmas tourist rush and consulted a map to find the coldest place in South Africa. Names like Sneeuberg, Koue Bokkeveld and Sutherland called to the innermost depths of our over-heated souls, so we decided to pay a visit to the Cold Karoo. It was bliss, having to put a jersey on in the afternoon and sleeping under a thick duvet at night. And Sutherland, the coldest place in the Republic, was surprisingly sophisticated. Of course, it’s all about the stars. Sutherland calls itself the gateway to the Universe, the land of snow and stars. This is the home of the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere – a telescope so powerful that you can see a candle’s flame on the moon. Although, to be perfectly accurate, you can’t actually see a candle’s flame on the moon, but if there was one you would be able to see it. You’ve got to love these South African scientists. If this telescope had been built in America, it would probably be known as Big Whopper. In Australia, it would have been dubbed Fat Fred. The English might have called it Stargazer. In South Africa? It is called Southern Africa’s Largest Telescope (SALT). No more, no less. Visitors can tour the Observatory and explore the universe, finding out the answers to vital questions such as: “What are quasars?” “How old is the universe?” “Are there other planets like Earth?” “Where’s the restaurant?” There’s much more to Sutherland than the planetarium and observatory. The town has re-invented itself as the gateway to the stars and has introduced charming features such as the Planetarium Highway – a plinth along the main road of the town that shows the size of each planet in relation to the sun and the distances between them. The plinth was built by local people using local stone, showing off their masonry skills. Sutherland also boasts the Southern Hemisphere’s only active volcano, although to call Salpeterkop active is overstating the case a little. The volcano, 66 million years old at its last birthday, slumbers away, occasionally burping up rare minerals. But don’t worry, Sutherland is not likely to become another Pompeii. Despite the volcano the Japanese, who have a vested interest in these things, discovered that the area around Sutherland is – seismologically speaking – the quietest in the world. Things are a lot more active in other parts of Sutherland – particularly with regard to horses and sheep. The cold climate makes its own demands on these animals, with the result that Sutherland sheep provide milk for the famous Sheep-Milk cheese. The town’s famous Roggeveld horses date back to the Anglo-Boer War. The British army had imported numbers of horses for their cavalry to use, and it was discovered that the strong bloodline of the Arabian horse allowed it to adapt to the extremely cold and harsh conditions. The huge herds of sheep and the vast size of the farms made wrangling the best way to keep order on farms. These specially adapted cold-weather horses are still being bred on the farms around Sutherland. But that’s not all, as they say. The extreme cold has also created some rather unique flora, almost Alpine in its ability to withstand cold. The endangered Elephant’s Foot is hard to find, but plant lovers journey from all over to look for it. It grows very slowly, has no root system, and a large plant can be more than 100 years old. It is – incredibly – a natural source of cortisone. The only African rye grass is also found here, growing in sheltered spots. There is also a blood-red Star Flower, that shines against the snow. There are quite a few rare plants that can only be found in Sutherland, having adapted to this rather interesting climate. On a more domestic note, Sutherland also boasts the largest tulip farms in South Africa, with a tulip industry started by – unsurprisingly – a minister in the Dutch Reformed church. Only the bulbs are used commercially, which means that during the flower season the local shops are awash with very cheap jewel-like tulips. And just in case you thought that Sutherland alone was a hotbed of tourist activity, there’s still the Tanqua Karoo to contend with. This is where geologists do tap dances of delight over fabulous rocks. They’re known as the Skoorsteenberg Formation, and they are the only such rocks that are not submerged under the sea. For your information, this rock formation is usually the one present where undersea oil and gas are found, so scientist flock to the Tanqua Karoo to study these rocks, uniquely, on dry land. It is wonderful to see a small place that has capitalised on its uniqueness in order to become a tourism attraction, and it is even more reassuring to know that, in summer’s relentless heat, we have a bolthole!