Wistfully wishing upon rural relief on a daily basis? Why not choose Wellington? Together the two towns of Wellington and Paarl form the Drakenstein local municipality, which falls under the Cape Winelands district municipality in the Western Cape. With only a 15-minute drive to Paarl, a 30-minute drive to Stellenbosch and a 45-minute drive to Cape Town, you could easily work within a 75-kilometre radius of Wellington during the day, and return home to the heart of the winelands in the evening.
Wellington is not only well known for its award-winning wines, fine brandy and SA’s sole whisky producer, but also for its leather products, agriculture (fruit, buchu, olives, etc.), SA’s largest dried fruit producing plant, indigenous flowering fynbos, crystal-clear rivers and streams in the historic Bain’s Kloof Pass, a well as the way in which this quaint town nestles at the foot of the towering Hawequa Mountains. The Berg River, flowing along the western border, and the smaller Spruit and Kromme Rivers add to the tranquility of the area. Wellington is not a great hub of economic activity, and this contributes to its calm ambiance.
The Seminary made Wellington renowned for theological studies, and today it remains an important academic centre, because it is home to the Huguenot Teachers Training College (which also offers training in social, youth and missionary work), Boland College, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and several other schools for primary and high school learners.
Just north of the town, at the foot of the Elandskloof and Winterhoek Mountains, there are three smaller villages, i.e. Saron (originally a missionary station), Gouda and Hermon. These three settlements are considered part of Wellington.
