Chantelle - The Tourguide

04/04/2025

A simple question posed by ten-year-old Peggy Rubidge, "𝘋𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?" sparked a remarkable 90-year journey that would lead to the eventual establishment of Karoo Origins - The Fossil Centre.

On a family picnic in April 1934, Peggy made 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆: a significant fossil skull that would change their lives forever.

This prompted her father, Sidney Rubidge, to reach out to Dr. Robert Broom, the newly appointed palaeontologist at the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria. 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥, 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘪, 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 180-200 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.

This pivotal moment ignited Sidney’s passion for paleontology, leading him to collect numerous fossils and ultimately creating the world-renowned 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

📌 Read a brief overview of the establishment of 𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗢𝗢 𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗦 - 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗟 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗘 at https://fossilcentre.co.za/new-story-coming/ or visit the centre at 30 Parsonage Street, to view and find out more about this fascination collection.

03/04/2025

Explore the town of Graaff-Reinet for a day and we can give you more than 250 million years of history. Visit the newly opened Karoo Origins - The Fossil Centre

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - A new fossil centre,...

02/10/2024

Game Viewing in the Camdeboo National Park outside Graaff-Reinet

☎️ Chantelle Marais 071 670 4747

13/03/2024

Sunset Paradise - Valley of Desolation SANParks - Camdeboo National Park

Enter the mesmerizing world of the Camdeboo region, where timeless landscapes captivate the soul. Amidst vast plains and rugged mountains, discover the magic of this enchanting land.

Trace the echoes of ancient life through the rich tapestry of fossils, revealing the story of three-billion-year history. Let the silence of the Karoo envelop you, as you breathe in the scent of earth and Karoo bossies, evoking the taste of tradition.

As night descends, lose yourself in the brilliance of a sky adorned with countless stars and distant galaxies, offering an unparalleled stargazing experience. But the true essence of Camdeboo lies in its people – warm, welcoming, and eager to share their stories and legends.

From the historic charm of Graaff-Reinet to the quaint villages of Aberdeen and Nieu Bethesda, every corner of Camdeboo invites exploration and discovery. Pack your sense of wonder and set out on an adventure to uncover the secrets of this captivating region.

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30/07/2023

04/11/2022

What a beautiful evening ~ The rain chasing the sunset

The beauty of the Karoo

I love spectacular sunsets!!!

Visit the Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park outside Graaff-Reinet

Karoo Heartland
Graaff-Reinet Magazine

23/07/2022

Back at work & the Valley of Desolation is looking amazing!!! Worldclass attraction on our doorstep - Visit the Camdeboo National Park when travelling through the Karoo.

05/06/2022

Visit the Valley - The Karoo is looking stunning at the moment - Autumn my favourite time of year!!!

Panoramic and ancient, the Valley of Desolation is an unforgettable view of the Karoo Heartland. Located outside Graaff Reinet and in the Camdeboo National Park, it's a one in a million view. 📷 Chantelle - The Tourguide

26/05/2022

Very proud of the developments at the Valley of Desolation

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - On Tuesday, 10 May,...

19/05/2022

Things I do

Camdeboo National Park

A new viewing platform, offering a panoramic view from Camdeboo National Park’s Valley of Desolation has been opened.