AURORA, South Africa: A Village of Serenity

  Рет қаралды 10,534

Willie Explore

Willie Explore

Күн бұрын

Hi everyone! In this video, I explore the beautiful village of Aurora, situated in the Sandveld region of South Africa's Western Cape. It is less than two hours' drive from Cape Town and is often described as a hidden gem in South Africa. Despite its proximity to the big city, it is a world apart from the hustle and bustle.
There is some disagreement about the origin of the name of the village. Some claim that Aurora is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, whilst others point to the fact that the first minister or reverend of the Dutch Reformed Church named his daughter Ceylonia Aurora, and that the village was named after his daughter. Nonetheless, it is clear that the church building dominates the skyline and that life is very quiet, peaceful and slow-paced.
This was my first visit to Aurora, so the vlog contains some of my first impressions whilst I walk casually in the streets of the village. The streets I walk around include Kerkstraat (or Church Street), Langstraat (or Long Street) and Hoofstraat (or Main Street). Here I get an idea of how people live and notice the beautiful flora on the pavements and the area in general.
I also walk past the school, visit the Dutch Reformed Church of Aurora and stumble across a guest house with a bicycle theme. In fact, the bicycle theme is prominent across the whole village - watch the vlog to find out why!
I also stop for lunch at a local coffee shop and visit a shop featuring several military artifacts, uniforms and other collectables for sale. In Main Street, I show more examples of houses in the area to give you an idea of how people live, and take you to a vantage point in Pastoriestraat which is lined with beautiful eucalyptus trees and where you can see the famous koppie or hill in Aurora.
I hope you enjoy this video! If you haven't done it yet, please hit the LIKE button and SUBSCRIBE to the channel. It is completely free to do so, and this will really help me to grow the channel and to promote my videos to a wider audience. I don't have a marketing team or budget; it is just me making videos, so any help is greatly appreciated.
Happy exploring!
Willie

Пікірлер: 63
@andrefreitas63
@andrefreitas63 7 ай бұрын
very nice walking tour 👍👍
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Merci mon ami! Thanks for watching :)
@Swanoaks
@Swanoaks 7 ай бұрын
Beautiful Willie, so very peaceful . . . love the animals. Did I hear a truck go by? That is two so far. lol a few parked . . . Woops a bus went by while writing this. Thank you once again: Kiwi from Virginia
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
My pleasure Swanoaks, thanks as always for your fabulous support for my channel. Can't remember a truck but definitely the school bus seem to be the most noisy vehicle in the entire village. The animals were lovely :)
@gohardorgohome7687
@gohardorgohome7687 7 ай бұрын
Hey Willie this place is heaven it's so nice and quiet away from the noise the hustle and bustle of the big cities also the scenery is fantastic . Great job man keep it up 🙂💪👍👍
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Definitely a very nice place to visit! Amazing to think it is so close to the big city but such a different vibe. Cheers as always for watching and commenting my friend!
@sheilam4525
@sheilam4525 7 ай бұрын
Willie, I am afraid the stars of this vlog were the speckled guard pig and friends! Another beautiful village on your road trip. The food looked very nice and as always, I love all the arts and crafts 😊
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
I absolutely agree with you, Sheila! How wonderful to see these animals in villages such as these. Loved the "guard dog" too that licked my fingers. Thank you as always for engaging and watching my content!
@billyungen
@billyungen 7 ай бұрын
Yet another wonderful tour of South Africa's rarely visited BEST. Thanks so much!
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
You are most welcome, Billy! Appreciate your support for my channel!
@billyungen
@billyungen 7 ай бұрын
@@willieexplore I appreciate getting to see more of South Africa through your visits -- and getting to re-visit some familiar places. Thanks so much for your videos!
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
@@billyungen glad you enjoy them, there is so much beauty in South Africa off the beaten track :)
@kudaisiaduntola2523
@kudaisiaduntola2523 7 ай бұрын
Your vlogs really are so enjoyable and relaxing. Love your dulcet tones whilst I drink a cup of tea - that puts me in a good mood for days. Thanks Willie!
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
What a wonderful message to receive, thank you very much! Glad you get enjoyment from my vlogs and I am grateful for your support! :)
@jaspervanzyl6212
@jaspervanzyl6212 7 ай бұрын
Agreed Kudaisi!
@AZqyc
@AZqyc 7 ай бұрын
Hey, hey, Willie ... another nice walkabout! Thanks for sharing! Were I there, I'd have an instant friend in Mr/Ms Piggie!! Got his/her cousin living not too far away up here ... we take Porky some carrots on a regular basis! And any town with lots of friendly cats and dogs has gotta be nice! Oh, and that coffee shop ... super! Very pleasant! [As always, greetings from Tucson]
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Hi Jim! Always my pleasure. The pig was an unusual choice of guard but certainly very entertaining :) The fact that the animals in the village are so relaxed speaks volumes about the overall vibe in the village. One of the more tranquil coffee shops I experienced in a very long time. Stay warm across the pond, winter is coming!
@williamkrugel7644
@williamkrugel7644 Ай бұрын
I like it😄😃😀
@martynarmitage2928
@martynarmitage2928 7 ай бұрын
lovely that willie realy enjoyed that, oh how i long for the west coast regards martyn and rene
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Nice to hear from you both! Hope you get a chance to visit the Western Cape soon, it is still as beautiful as we all remember it, I can guarantee you
@marinda3262
@marinda3262 Ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing this video of Aurora.We moved here from the Northern Suburbs and love the peace and quiet. Here there is no worry about walking alone- all is safe. Also want to mention, almost a third of the residents are weekend visitors, having houses in Aurora as country houses
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Thanks for watching and commenting, Marinda! Interesting about the 33% weekend visitors, I can imagine it is a popular weekend retreat!
@hanneliewiese3477
@hanneliewiese3477 28 күн бұрын
Thank you Willie - really enjoyed this video. Just wish you had more time to walk down more streets. I was hoping to see one of my best friend's house - she now lives in Aurora ! What a lovely little town.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 28 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it, Hannelie! Even though time stands still here, there is never enough time in these beautiful towns. Thanks for watching and supporting my channel!
@christinerocher4874
@christinerocher4874 Ай бұрын
Hi!!! Myself and hubby grew up there. Our house was the koekeloer koffie moer coffee shop. My husband further up the road. How cool!!! Thank you for this. In the uk for almost 5 years and this was very special.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it, Christine! I appreciate the support :)
@christofferraby4712
@christofferraby4712 Ай бұрын
You guys should come back to live in Aurora. Little Karoo dorpies are wonderful places to live.
@maryhairy1
@maryhairy1 Ай бұрын
Pleasant stroll
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@mayousimon1
@mayousimon1 6 ай бұрын
Willie awesome video he's done it again for good correspondence from view's that are not explaining some other video even on destination places that show on mainstream media shows explaining some interesting issues with areas of interest. Thanks for your time especially considering making these videos useful for others to enjoy listening and watch!
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 6 ай бұрын
Nice to hear from you Simon! Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it!
@jaspervanzyl6212
@jaspervanzyl6212 7 ай бұрын
Awesome video, Willie Explore! Keep up the good work!
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Always a pleasure, Jasper! Thanks for tagging along with me and exploring virtually!
@emmerentiagroenewald3694
@emmerentiagroenewald3694 7 ай бұрын
Pragtige rustige dorp!! Met 'n mooi NG kerk en ou huise wat netjies gehou word....❤❤
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Ek was regtig verras, Emmerentia! Wat 'n mooi plek
@gemi1164
@gemi1164 2 ай бұрын
Net jammer die siel van die dorp het totaal verander, ook nie meer so rustig en skoon nie.
@TWOLIVES-pz5qe
@TWOLIVES-pz5qe 7 ай бұрын
Charming, and quiet small town. 👍
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
That is certain! Thanks for watching and commenting :)
@jjaltern2077
@jjaltern2077 Ай бұрын
Hi Willie, I think it will help your channel if you go more into detail about the towns history, where one can stay and the prices of accommodation and what's on offer as far as overnight stays, alot of people want to get out of the rat race for a weekend or so. Even a series like Voetspore to me is a waste of time because they don't share what it costs to eat, sleep, have a beer, where to get the best deals and service amongst many other things.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Hi JJ, thanks for watching and getting in touch. If you check out some of my vlogs about places in other countries, you will see that I do indeed talk a lot about history (I studied and love history!) and quote prices of places I stay at etc. I also made some "how expensive are" videos about certain locations (for example, Madeira and Aruba) where one can get an idea of costs in a particular country rather than town. These places I often visit over a few days. What was different about the Karoo / West Coast places is that I often filmed whilst passing through the town, i.e. didn't stay over. I did quote accommodation prices for example in Nieu-Bethesda, Loxton and Sutherland, because that is where I stayed over. I spent maybe two hours in Aurora and Victoria West passing through to other destinations. I guess your choices for food and drink in Aurora will be limited, and I did quote the price of a coffee and meal at the place I sat down for lunch. Also note that my channel focuses on raw content / first impressions rather than promoting businesses or act as complete travel guide. There are already a lot of "brochure style" information online about accommodation. At the same time, I also appreciate that many people will turn to video material to help them in their choices, and even if it doesn't cover all bases, I hope my videos are informative and help some.
@TommyStewart-go7zs
@TommyStewart-go7zs Ай бұрын
Baie dankie vir die video. Ek het op Aurora skool gegaan. Jammer jy het nie die koshuis gebou gewys wat reg oorkant die pragtige kerk geleë is nie. Lekker dae gewees met zout van die aarde mense. Sal altyd n spesiale plek in my hart wees
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Dankie Tommy, waardeer die mooi boodskap en ek is bly jy het dit geniet. Definitief 'n pragtige dorpie!
@christofferraby4712
@christofferraby4712 Ай бұрын
Baie dankie meneer Willie vir die video.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
My plesier! Dankie vir die ondersteuning!
@christofferraby4712
@christofferraby4712 Ай бұрын
I am actually still learning Afrikaans after being married to my South African wife for 9 years so I hope I spelt it correctly.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
@@christofferraby4712 yes you did! Your Afrikaans is super :)
@paparazzina1
@paparazzina1 6 ай бұрын
With what r u filming , very clear n nice
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 6 ай бұрын
GoPro
@toscabrutus1781
@toscabrutus1781 7 ай бұрын
Willie ek ken Aurora ook naby piketberg en porterville! Ek like Jou toere jy maak my baie homesick! Lima peru groete
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 7 ай бұрын
Die Sandveld is 'n lekker deel van Suid-Afrika! Ek verlang self. Skink daar 'n lekker Spaanse brandewyn my maat
@toscabrutus1781
@toscabrutus1781 7 ай бұрын
Willie ek sal gooi n Dubbel op Jou Vanaand!!! groetnis!@@willieexplore
@bobovanzyl3008
@bobovanzyl3008 Ай бұрын
Great man. Kom bly by ons as jy weer in Kaap rond is.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Baie dankie, ek waardeer!
@williamkrugel7644
@williamkrugel7644 Ай бұрын
Willie, I am Willem in Stellenbosch we must cash up for coffee.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
Cheers Willem, I don't live in South Africa but when I'm ever in Stellenbosch filming a vlog we could certainly arrange.
@user-iw9vz6zn6r
@user-iw9vz6zn6r 26 күн бұрын
Geen bekommernisse rustige dorpie.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 26 күн бұрын
Verseker! Dankie vir die saamkyk!
@gemi1164
@gemi1164 4 ай бұрын
Not one word about the crime in Aurora?
@willieexplore
@willieexplore 4 ай бұрын
I did not encounter any crime, why?
@divanvanzyl7545
@divanvanzyl7545 Ай бұрын
@@willieexplore Hi, mense wat besoek vir n paar dae beleef tipies nie die misdaad nie. Dis inwonders wat met die probleem sit. Nerens in SA sal jy van misdaad ontsnap nie. Teensy jy miljoene het en jou veiligheid kan koop ager hoe mure en sekuriteit.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
@@divanvanzyl7545 as 'n Suid-Afrikaner verstaan ek dit baie goed, Divan. Dankie vir die kyk!
@NicoletteEBedford
@NicoletteEBedford Ай бұрын
Hi Willie, drove through Aurora and as we turned the corner onto road we heard a loud knock at the back of bakkie..I looked back and saw a surprised snake had reared up. We must have nipped it's tail ! 😮 Nice to drive around the Piketberg mountain for the day, which is what we did. Also to drive up Versveld pass outside Piketberg and take in the fruit farms. And or drive through the mountain from Sauer into Kapteinskloof. I owned property there and in Piketberg years ago. Nice drive to Redelinghuys from Aurora. Thanks for the interesting walkabout. The village looks really smart and well kept.
@willieexplore
@willieexplore Ай бұрын
@@NicoletteEBedford hi Nicolette, thanks for watching and sharing your story! Wow, sounds like a close one with the snake. But what a wonderful area to drive around. Beautiful landscapes and mountains, as you say. The Sandveld is special!
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