Hartbeespoort Dam

Hartbeespoort Dam is an arch type dam situated in the North West Province. The dam lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range.

Hartbeespoort has become a very popular holiday and weekend resort for the inhabitants of Johannesburg and Pretoria; it is the principal water recreation area of northern Gauteng and many types of water sports are enjoyed on the dam

The dam is 149.5 metres long and 59.4 metres high and is built across a gorge cutting through the Magaliesberg. Only 35kms away from Pretoria, it is an easy day trip for the whole family. The name of the dam means "pass of the hartebeest" (a species of antelope) in Afrikaans.

This "poort" in the Magaliesberg was a popular spot for hunters, where they cornered and shot the hartebeest. The dam was originally designed for irrigation, which is currently its primary use, as well as for domestic and industrial use.  Hartbeespoort Dam supplies irrigation water through a 544 kilometres long network of canals to 159.76 square kilometres of farmland on which tobacco, wheat, lucerne, fruit and flowers are produced.