Three Sisters (Northern Cape)

The Three Sisters are a land formation near Victoria West, Northern Cape, South Africa, comprising three distinctively shaped hills. The farm on which they are situated and the nearby railway siding are also named Three Sisters.

The hills (or "koppies" as they are known locally) are topped with dolorite, and are nearly identical in appearance. They can be seen just to the east of the N1 highway, roughly 75 kilometres (47 mi) outside Beaufort West, north of the junction of the N1 and the N12 highways. Due to the open and mountainous Karoo scenery, the area has become a relatively well-known landmark.^[1]

There is a large "Shell Ultra City" service station nearby, on the busy N1 route between Johannesburg and Cape Town.^[2]

The early expansion of the Cape Colony's railway system, planned by the government of Prime Minister John Molteno and driven by Cape Government Railways, saw the Main Western Line to Kimberley pass this formation. A small station was built here in 1881 and it serviced the enormous tracts of farmland in the surrounding districts.^[3]

Three Sisters is situated approximately 540km from Cape Town, 460km from Bloemfontein and 860km from Johannesburg, whereas Beaufort West is situated 75km to the South West, Laingsburg is situated 275km also to the South West and Colesberg 240km to the North East. All these itineraries are situated along the N1 main route. But it is 930km to Johannesburg when on N12 from Three Sisters. It is 61km from Victoria West.

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