Finally choosy trip to Sutherland

Choosy trip to Sutherland. A nice round trip, on the way home to Randburg, rounded off with a trip to Sutherland just made sense. October was hopefully warm enough but then who knows with Sutherland?

On the Road to Sutherland

Choosy travelling down Sutherland main road in the morning to explore the town. I now have a habit of driving, not only on main roads, but around and about on the roads of the town. If possible, I stop and chat to the inhabitants, to get their take on how they enjoy staying there.

Sutherland main road

Imagine having your own telescope in your garden, in the main road, like this one!

Large mock up of Telescope

Choosy and you are reminded of the fact that you are in the Karoo when you have your own Windmill and dam. I thought it was so cool!

Own borehole and windmill

Custer de Hote restaurant in Sutherland where lamb shank is their speciality.  Spot piano and bench! Seat bench comes from Church

Ou Meule

Choosy visits Ou Meule to enjoy the friendlyness of the Karoo and its people by serving hearty, local food to warm you up in our cold weather. We serve light meals, snacks as well as home made lunches

Telescopes have been operational near Sutherland, chosen for its good weather, semi-desert, absence of light and other pollution, since the early 1970’s.  there are 18 telescopes operating at a height of 1 800 meters above sea level and about 400 km from Cape Town.

There are 18 telescopes on the hill.

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere and among the largest in the world. Some technical details explained on the choosy tour are that it has a hexagonal primary mirror array 11 meters across, comprising 91 individual 1meter hexagonal mirrors.
SALT is funded by a consortium of international partners from South Africa, the United States, Germany, Poland, India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The telescope is realising its huge potential as Africa’s Giant Eye on the Universe.

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)

1st telescope here was installed around 1938

1st telescope

Lift people up to work on mirrors  inside SALT … even have to cope with, and clean,  bat and bird poops that fly in

inside SALT