George - The western gateway to the Garden Route

George lies at the some 10 kilometres away from the sea at the foot of the picturesque Outeniqua Mountains. The beginnings of the town date back to the year 1776, when the Dutch-East Indian Trading Company established here one of its timber supply bases. George was officially only founded in 1811 by the British who named the place after the then king George III.

Initially George grew very slowly, mainly because roads viable for ox wagons were missing in the hardly accessible Outeniqua Mountains. Only with the opening of the Outeniqua Pass in the year 1847, trade with the inland could develop and George began to flourish Today, George has about 130.000 people and is the administrative and economic centre of the Garden Route with an air of prosperity about it. A modern airport (8 kilometres out of town) links it to the net of South African Airways.

George is fast developing into South Africas golf paradise. Three of South Africas "top ten" golf courses are to be found in George. Particularly popular is the enormous Fancourt Golf Estate with its 18-hole course designed by Gary Player. In the huge park grounds also lie a golf academy, an exclusive hotel, a conference centre, a couple of restaurants and a great number of sporting facilities.

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