GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The breathtaking Karoo views at the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park, Graaff-Reinet, will soon be enjoyed by all, thanks to a group of people who hope to make the tourist attraction more accessible for wheelchair users and elderly people.
"The current path between the parking lot and the viewpoint meanders for 250m over rough and uneven terrain, unsuitable for elderly persons and wheelchairs," explained Buks Marais, chairperson of Granaat, the local club for supporters of the Camdeboo National Park.
Therefore, Granaat started a project to provide universal access from the parking lot to a new viewpoint. To make their dream a reality, Granaat took hands with South African National Parks (SANParks) and SANParks Honorary Rangers, a volunteer organisation that raises funds and provides support for conservation in all local national parks.
Granaat conducted the feasibility study and provided a preliminary design, in consultation with scientists and local representatives of SANParks.
The Department of Environmental Affairs approved the proposal, after which SANParks and Honorary Rangers (of which the Magalies and Mount Zebra regions were instrumental), stepped in as main sponsors of the project.
According to Marais, the important project has three equally important parts. Phase one added a third toilet to the ablution block for wheelchairs and refurbishes existing toilets, which has already been completed.
Phase two will construct a viewing platform at the viewpoint, and phase three will link the parking lot and the platform with a smooth walkway at a constant gradient, with resting places every 50m.
At the handover of the first phase on 6 March, Granaat, Cambdeboo National Park and Graaff-Reinet community members thanked SANParks Honorary Rangers for funding, SANParks (locally and nationally) for their support and encouragement, community members involved in planning and proposals, and Corrie Breytenbach and his team for the construction of phase one.
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