Arnoud Quanjer Wildlife Photography

 At the picknick spot at Auchterlonie waterhole a museum has been created which shows and explains the origin of the ruins that you can find along the Auob riverbed. Germany occupied Namibia (or rather South West Africa as it was called at the time) in 1884. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the government of the Union of South Africa drilled a series of waterholes along the Auob river to provide their troops with water in case of a South African invasion of Namibia along this route. Guards recruites mainly from the local community, were hired to protect and maintain the bore holes. These guards were permitted to "settle" next to these boreholes with their families and livestock. They used traditional wattle and daub methods to construct their houses and stock shelters or alternatively used the local calcrete stone. The South African invasion of Namibia took place via another route and the borehole guards stayed on largely forgotten by the authorities.

Between 1913 and 1917 the present park was surveyed and divided into farms by a Scottish surveyor named Roger "Malkop" Duke Jackson, which explains the many Gaelic names of the waterholes in the park. After World War I these farms were made available to white people and later to coloured people. Only a few families were prepared to settle on these farms and in 1931 the Minister of Lands, Mr. Piet Grobler proclaimed the area a national park.

Land was purchased south of the park to re-settle these farmers and the borehole guards were given land along the Kuruman river. Their houses and other structures were abandoned. Remains of these houses and structures can today be seen at the Auchterlonie museum.

The text of this article was copied from the information posters which you can find inside Auchterlonie museum. In the photo gallery shown below you can find pictures of these posters.

If you're interested in more information on the history of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park then try to find a copy of the book "Gee my 'n Man" by Hannes Kloppers. This book was published in 1970 in South Africa by APB.

Photo gallery

• Blacksmith area Blacksmith area
• Old restored farmhouse, now a museum Old restored farmhouse, now a museum
• Information about the Kalahari settlement history inside the museum Information about the Kalahari settlement history inside the museum
• Information poster inside the museum Information poster inside the museum
• Information poster inside the museum Information poster inside the museum
• Information poster inside the museum Information poster inside the museum
• Information poster inside the museum Information poster inside the museum
• Information poster inside the museum Information poster inside the museum
• Information poster inside the museum Information poster inside the museum
• Entrance to the farmhouse/museum Entrance to the farmhouse/museum
• Room inside the museum, left of entrance Room inside the museum, left of entrance
• Room inside the museum, right of entrance Room inside the museum, right of entrance
• Outside cooking area Outside cooking area
• Tourist picknick area Tourist picknick area
• Acknowledgements Acknowledgements
• Soaktub for animal hides Soaktub for animal hides
• Well which has been dug by hand (and it's deep!) Well which has been dug by hand (and it's deep!)
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