Kirkwood, Eastern Cape

Kirkwood is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is situated on the banks of the Sundays River in the eponymously named Sundays River Valley, which forms part of the Sundays River Valley Municipality in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape.Geography and climateKirkwood is situated about 80km from the Indian Ocean and about 100 meters (330 ft) above sea level.The South African Weather Service recorded a temperature of 50.3°C in Kirkwood in 1928 - the highest temperature ever recorded in South Africa.To the north of Kirkwood are the Rietberg Mountains with the Uyepoort (Uye Gateway), which provides passage to the Zuurberg Mountains and the Addo Elephant National Park.HistoryThe Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir John Francis Cradock, gave the first farms in the Sundays River Valley to the leaders of the successful burger commandos for their role in the victories in the border wars of 1811 and 1812.