HISTORY In the 17th century the Jonkershoek Valley was allocated to a few released slaves. During the Second World War the farm belonged to Colonel Werdmüller. He was in charge of a recruitment action to find volunteers for the war and he obtained a number of Italian prisoners of war who laid out a garden on this plot. The walls, which were built around the gardens, are still in use today. It is possible that the present guestrooms were originally built for the prisoners. Many of their signatures can still be seen on a hollow cliff.

		Colonel Werdmüller donated a section of the land to the Swiss community. The rest was bought by Mr Fitt, an Australian who divided the plot into smaller sections. In 1958 Prof. Perold bought the last three sections, which were known as Glen Conner, and renamed it Pontrieux. Pontrieux is a village in France, from where the ancestors of the Perots (later changed to Perold) originated. Prof. Perold built a family house on the property which is used today as the guest house. In 1984 the land was sold to the present owner.
		LOCATION Kierie Kwaak is situated in the peaceful, rustic Jonkershoek Valley, approximately 3 km south east of Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape. The valley is surrounded by mountains from where the fast flowing Eerste River originates. On the eastern side is the Assegaaibos Nature Reserve, and on the southern side is Stellenbosch Mountain.
		CLIMATE Winter (May - July) is the rainy season with an average annual rainfall of 400 – 1000 mm. Temperatures vary from 14° – 19° C. The mountaintops are sometimes covered with snow. Summer (November – March) is dry and hot. The average temperature ranges between 19° and 35° C. The prevailing winds are southeasterly during summer and northwesterly in winter.
		FAUNA Mammals Leopards are occasionally found in the mountainous areas, but smaller cat species and baboons are common. Reptiles Snakes, tortoises, lizards as well as amphibians, such as various types of frogs are found here. Birds The area is rich in bird life. Geology Stellenbosch Mountain consists mainly of Table Mountain sandstone and granite. Water, which filters from the mountain, is very pure, and water in all the mountain streams is safe to drink.
		FLORA The Western Cape is world renowned for its plants, and the Cape Flora or Fynbos is extremely rich in species. The Jonkershoek valley is part of a World Heritage area. The three main components of the Fynbos are the Restionaceae (Cape reeds), Proteaceae (proteas) and Ericaceae (ericas or heaths). Beside these components, Fynbos is also very rich in geophytes (plants with subterranean tubers, bulbs, etc.). In an area of 90 000 square kilometres there are no less than 8 600 species. Of these 5 800 species are endemic to the area. The Cape Peninsula with its 2 285 species is in expanse smaller than London, and the whole of the British Isles have only 1 500 species. Many of the Fynbos plants flower during autumn and winter, but there are flowers to observe throughout the year. It is remarkable that Fynbos plants grow in very poor soil, often from sandstone origin.
		General The farm's water come from the Stellenbosch mountain and is safe to drink. Good control and extinguishing of fires for braai is a requirement. Smoking inside the units is not permitted. Visitors of guests are not allowed without prior arrangement with management. Guest are friendly requested not to make loud music and to respect other guests privacy. No pets are allowed. Under no circumstances may the farm animals go along on hikes. Vehicles may not be parked on the lawns but only on the allocated sites.