Galenia Estate, Montagu

the estate where nature abounds

Background

The estate originally known as Boontjiesrivier (Boyin-kiss–riff–ear) was the first estate to be settled in the Montagu area long before the Cogman’s Kloof pass was blasted out in 1877 – in fact it must have been very intrepid Dutch settlers who navigated the mountains and river beds in the early 1700’s to settle here. Boontjiesrivier (or in English, Little Bean River) was the name also given to the river rising in the springs and kloofs of the Langeberg Mountains immediately behind the estate.

A French Huguenot family, called Le Roux, purchased the farm in 1865 and over the years it has been used for growing fruit (mainly apricots) and also grapes for wine. However, it seems that the estate was reclaimed by nature as the native ‘fynbos’ took over and the estate buildings crumbled and fell into disrepair until it was rescued by a far-sighted Belgian – Eric Brillant and his wife Myriam who bought the estate in 2002 when they moved to South Africa from The Congo.

A remarkable transformation took place with the planting of 1100 olive trees and the construction of a ten roomed guest house to complement the renovation of the original Cape Dutch barn which now forms the centre of the estate. Nature walks were set out on the farm and into the surrounding mountains and kloofs so that guests could really interact with this beautiful countryside.

The estate has just recently changed hands yet again and from 1st October 2015 has become owned by the Bailey family – a British family with more than 50 years of involvement with East Africa where they still have significant holdings in Dar es Salaam and in The Selous Game reserve of southern Tanzania.

Estate House

The main focus of the property is the ‘Estate House’ which in fact was a renovation of one of the original barns on the estate. Its contemporary Cape Dutch design incorporates many of the features of a typical ‘lang skuur’ with a ceiling of whole tree trunks, gables with windows and a deep ‘stoep’ overlooking the estate.

Set out as a spacious and comfortable sitting room with accompanying glass – enclosed dining stoep the main house is the hospitality centre of the estate where guests can ‘feel at home’ whilst being cared for by our willing, friendly and well trained ‘host family’.

Eat and Drink

Breakfast – our ‘estate breakfast’ is planned to make sure that the Galenia guests start the day correctly. Many guests have already had an early morning walk or trek or joined the guided estate tour so are ready to do ‘full justice’ to the selection of fruits, yoghurts, juices, cereals, breads, muffins, cheeses, cold meats etc – let alone the cooked breakfast coming out of the kitchen. For many it is a time to have a leisurely breakfast, enjoying the views over the estate, the olives and the dam whilst they plan the day’s activities.

​Lunch – whilst we do not do a ‘formal’ lunch we are pleased to offer a platter of cold meats and cheeses accompanied by relishes and chutneys and home baked bread. This can be served at the pool or on your private stoep.
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Dinner – our candlelight dinners are designed not to be rushed – relax and enjoy the ambiance of the main stoep. Our four course menu, which changes daily, incorporates locally sourced and seasonal ingredients from both Galenia and our neighbouring estates, complemented by wines from the Robertson wine valley. Pre-dinner drinks are served in the lounge or on the terrace 2

Olive Oil

Galenia Estate is an Olive farm nestled up close to the Langeberg Mountains in the Karoo.

The beautiful farm is home to over 2500 olive trees made up of different cultivars – Frantoio (Italian Origin), Mission (American Origin) & Manzanilla (Spanish Origin), and a new addition of the Coratina (Italian Origin) cultivar, which is still in its early stages of growth.

The Olives are handpicked, pressed and processed on the estate within days, sometimes hours, of picking.

This years harvest has provided us with awarding winning Olive Oils.  From this years SA Olive Awards we received a Gold for our Single Cultivar – Mission, as well as a Bronze for our Galenia Estate Blend, Directors Blend and Single Cultivar – Manzanilla.

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