Soetmelksvlei – celebrating the artisan spirit of a 19th century farmyard
The Babylonstoren team of master builders and historians have been going about the business of constructing and curating an extraordinary project and are proud to present Soetmelksvlei, a unique historical experience on the slopes of Simonsberg.
Just a short shuttle ride from Babylonstoren lies an interactive farmyard set in the late 19th century. Immerse yourself in an era before rampant industrialisation – before electric lights and the Model T Ford became common sights – when the world moved at a slower pace and people used their hands to create what was needed. Soetmelksvlei honours the legacy of artisanry.
Visitors are encouraged to interact with master craftspeople as they go about their daily chores. Get a glimpse of home life before the turn of the 20th century through the immaculately recreated interiors of the Farmhouse. Take a seat at the kitchen table for a cup of freshly brewed moerkoffie. Enjoy a rusk or still-warm bread and home-churned butter while observing the kitchen utensils and methods of the 19th century cook. Learn about heritage fruit and vegetable varieties from the gardeners in the kitchen garden, and step into the Gardener’s Cottage to marvel at the display of dried medicinal herbs.
Immerse yourself in the Old Cellar, a wonder room in the true 19th century sense of the word: part exhibition space, part playhouse and part reading room. Take wholesome refreshment at the Old Stables Restaurant, which also has outdoor seating with a view of the outdoor children’s play area. Browse the Jonkershuis Farm Shop for old-world keepsakes, including traditional favourites like rusks, pickles, preserves, hand-knitted and crocheted blankets, mittens, slippers and children’s jerseys, as well as bespoke items, like the opsitkers or courtship candle, which were used to determine the duration of an admirer’s welcome in the home. The resident blacksmith provides the Farm Shop with beautifully crafted, durable cast-iron pans, oven dishes and braai tools.
Daily activities include milking of the cows, cream separation, butter churning and wheat milling, repeated at specific times throughout the day. Guests are encouraged to consistently observe and interact. Soetmelksvlei hosts a variety of workshops where a new craft can be acquired, or to hone an existing skill. Culinary workshops are hosted in the Meat Room or Creamery, while the blacksmith, carpenters and leathercrafters ply their trade in the Workshop. Visitors can join the distillation master and learn to make mampoer! (These workshops have fixed dates and must be pre-booked online).
Animals form an integral part of the farmyard at Soetmelksvlei. The gabled fowl house is home to chickens and ducks, with a separate enclosure for doves. The kraal area has a dedicated cow shed and horse stables, with smaller enclosures for sheep and the miniature donkeys, Faf and Tjokkie. Here too, visitors are encouraged to observe and participate in the feeding and care of all animals.
The curation of this multi-sensory, immersive journey through time was overseen by talented Museologist Elsa Vogts. Soetmelksvlei can be described as self-contained eco-system where everything is handmade and repaired on site, with a surprising level of sophistication and attention to details
Head of Soetmelksvlei, Adele Johnson, and her team are thrilled to welcome guests to the farm.
Allow enough time to experience all that Soetmelksvlei has to offer. Above all, take time to experience life at a slower, more grounded pace.
Open Thursday to Sunday in winter, from 09h00 to 16h00. Open daily in summer, from 09h00 to 18h00.
Shuttle departs Babylonstoren at 30-minute intervals from 08h30 to 13h00.
Shuttle returns to Babylonstoren at 11h00 and every hour, on the hour, until 17h00.
R300 entrance fee per adult (includes an annual Babylonstoren membership valued at R100).
R200 entrance fee per adult with a valid Babylonstoren membership.
R100 entrance fee per child aged 4–17.
Free entry for children aged 3 and younger, provided they sit on an adult’s lap for the shuttle ride from Babylonstoren to Soetmelksvlei.
Book online at babylonstoren.com or contact enquiries@babylonstoren.com