The town of Oudtshoorn was founded in 1847 at the foot of the Swartberg Mountains, to cater to the needs of the Little Karoo’s growing farming population. It gained prosperity when the demand for ostrich feathers – to support Victorian, and later Edwardian fashion trends – created a sharp rise in the industry in 1870-80.

The Karoo’s hot, dry climate proved suitable for big-scale ostrich farming – the loamy soils yielded extensive crops of lucerne, which forms a major part of the birds’ diet and the ground was strewn with the small pebbles that are a vital aid to their somewhat unusual digestive processes.

Oudtshoorn’s importance as an ostrich-farming centre continued for more than 40 years, and the town became renowned for its sandstone mansions, built by wealthy ostrich barons. Today, ostrich products include eggs and leather meat and bonemeal. The town also produces crops of tobacco, wheat and grapes.