Queenstown, Eastern Cape

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City Hall with sandstone facade and cast iron lamp posts.
City Hall with sandstone facade and cast iron lamp posts.

Queenstown is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the commercial, administrative, and educational centre of a prosperous farming district.

The layout of Queenstown reflects its original objective as a defensive stronghold for the frontier area and has a most unusual design. There is a central hexagonal area where canon or rifle fire could be directed down 6 thoroughfares radiating from the centre. The canon sites have now been replaced with gardens and a central fountain was the dominant feature. A striking abstract sculpture replaced the fountain as part of the town's 150th anniversary.

Queenstown lies on the Komani River which forms part of the Great Kei system of rivers and has a refreshing climate and plentiful water supply from the surrounding rugged mountains. The water is collected in Bongolo Dam, set in the hills, used extensively for recreation and watersports. Each year, around the beginning of June, the town holds an art exhibition with the emphasis on paintings and sculpture. Perhaps inspired by some of the most interesting Bushman paintings in nearby caves, which are accessible to the visitor.

Close to Queenstown is a nature reserve with numerous antelope, white rhinocerous and spectacular flowering plants together with panoramic views from the mountain summit.

Queen's College and Queenstown Girls' High School are secondary schools located in Queenstown.

Coordinates: 31°54′S 26°53′E

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