Papendorp is located at the mouth of the Olifants River and at high tide it is possible to navigate to Lutzville on a flat-bottomed boat, about 30 km upstream. Ebenhaezer, a Rhenish mission station established in 1831 is located a few km further inland, on the road between Papendorp and Lutzville. There are salt pans in the area that are exploited commercially.
Papendorp residents earn their livelihood from fishing in the estuary, while Ebenhaezer boasts a strong farming community with lucerne and bean fields adorning much of the pastoral landscape.
The Olifants River estuary at Papendorp provides some of the best line fishing opportunities along the coast. Catches usually include silver cob, Angolan cob, white steenbras, West Coast steenbras, and elf.
One of the oldest towns in the district, Ebenhaezer was founded by the Rhenish Missionary Society as a mission station in 1834. It was originally the site of a Khoi kraal. When James Backhouse visited Ebenhaezer in March 1840 he wrote that several people were living in huts built of reeds and mud, and that residents were building a windmill on a low hill outside the town. Today these old clay buildings and riethuise add to the town’s unique charm. The town’s residents and farmers benefit from the Olifants River Irrigation Scheme, and make a living farming cattle and sheep, and grow cash crops like lucerne, beans and coriander.
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