Somewhere in the Overberg, between Gansbaai and Suurbraak, Lize Odendal and photographer Misha Jordaan went foraging for shark biltong, fynbos honey and coconut ice sweets. What they found was more than one great dirt road to meander down.

Just as you think you know the Overberg, you hear another starry-eyed account about a new hang-out in this area.

There was only one solution: We had to go and have a look for ourselves. We grabbed a map and started marking our circular route, with Gansbaai in the west as our starting point.

From there our journey took us east to Elim and then Bredasdorp, northeast to Malgas and finally north to Suurbraak, before heading back to Cape Town on the N2. 

Three days’ driving; 184 km. Just what the doctor ordered.

Gansbaai
SHARK BILTON AND FYNBOS

One vehicle. Checked. Two people. Ready. One fridge. In. Cash. Hardly. A road map – this is Francois Oberholzer’s contribution. The editor of the Gansbaai Courant and the Gansbaai Herald has marked all the dirt roads we should explore.

Gansbaai itself looks like a suburban pit stop and not in the least like the headquarters of a dangerous predator, the great white shark, to be precise. Preferring to eat, and not to be eaten, we start searching for fresh fish – the gutted variety. 

The first shopping stop is Gansbaai harbour where Suzette Kotze at Dyer Island Fisheries points us to a counter filled with silver fish, panga and skate wings (R29 / kg), artfully displayed on ice. Abalone off-cuts cost R160 / kg, smoked salmon R57 / kg.

Choose with your eyes and keep your hands off the fish, the sign reads. The abalone off-cuts and skate wings find their way to the fridge in our vehicle and it already starts looking full.

Where are we going to find a roof rack in the Overberg?

We tentatively nibble on shark biltong (salty and dry with a subtle, off fish taste, sort of like fish flour) and mull over the possibility of feeding the rest to the Egyptian geese in the harbour.

The discussion as to why Egyptian geese here live by the sea rather than in fresh water as they normally do, is inconclusive. Francois shrugs; clearly not front page material for him. 

The next pit stop is De Kelders, 2 km from Gansbaai, but seemingly part of the same town. The whales which make this settlement world-famous are cavorting in the bay and you can hear them loud and clear.

From the view point on the rocks in front of the old hotel (now a series of apartments), you are ideally positioned to check out the dassies down below. As big as dogs, they flit lightly between rocks. If they continue growing like this, they will soon rival their closest relative, the elephant.