SPENDPENNY GUEST FARM

1. THE BEGINNING

John & Hantie Goodey, owners of the successful and popular 4 * Goodey’s Guesthouse in Colbyn, Pretoria, bought a piece of land on the farm Doornpoort, Koster with their youngest son and daughter-in-law, Johnny & Riandi, in April 2018. The beautiful scenery, highlighted by the Elands River winding through the farm, prompted them to develop it into a guest farm where visitors can enjoy the tranquil bushveld setting with them.

2. THE DEVELOPMENT

During September 2018, construction work began in earnest. The existing, somewhat dilapidated farmhouse was demolished and a brand new modern home with all amenities was built on the old house's foundations. This house, consisting of 4 en-suite bedrooms, a large sitting / dining / living room, modern kitchen, walk-in wardrobe, laundry and guest toilet, was completed at the end of March 2019. Another big plus is the 2 spacious verandas on the northern and eastern parts of the house, where visitors can relax at any time of the day or night and take in the beautiful scenery and experience the best sunrise and sunset.

One of the existing enclosed thatched lapas has been refurbished and also consists of an en-suite bedroom, kitchen and large recreation / conference area. A second thatched lapa is transformed into a farm kitchen, complete with braai facilities, a bread / pizza oven and a nice gas stove where side dishes can be prepared.

3. SPENDPENNY GUEST FARM

We decided on the name SPENDPENNY for our new guest farm. Our Goodeys are very proud of our origins (as supposedly every one of you reading here) and our ancestors came from, among others, the Netherlands, France, Scotland and England to find their salvation here at the southern tip of Africa. John's grandfather James Goodey came here during the Boer War and never set foot on English shore again. He married a Afrikaans girl from Cape Town and raised five children here. His father and grandfather (both called Golden Goodey) were principal landowners near a village of Chapel in the County of Essex, England. They owned several farms, one of which was called Spendpenny Farm. True to our love for our family history, we decided to revive a truly South African Spendpenny Farm.

4. THE ENVIRONMENT AND THINGS TO DO

The location of Spendpenny is unique because it forms part of the large farm Doornpoort which had a great influence on the district since 1854. John's sister, Jenny, is married to Bun Malan, a direct descendant of Patriarch Koos Malan, who bought Doornpoort in 1882. Bun had it as one of his goals to consolidate the original farm, which has since been divided into several sections. He has to a large extent succeeded and today Bun & Jenny Malan owns large portions of the original farm.

Spendpenny's owners have entered into a co-operation agreement with the Malans whereby large portions of the vast farm are also made available to Spendpenny's visitors. These include:

4.1 Guided game drives through the game farm which houses a large variety of wildlife.

4.2 Late afternoon rides with sundowners to experience the sunset

4.3 Hunting opportunities during the hunting season

4.4 Fishing opportunities on a variety of dams on the farm.

4.5 A wide variety of birds for bird watchers

4.6 Tree lovers will enjoy the wide variety of trees. The SA Dendrological Society, for example, recorded the largest white stinkwood tree in Southern Africa on Doornpoort.

4.7 Hiking trails through breathtaking scenery

4.8 Mountain bike trails through various parts of the farm.

4.9 Access to the unique nearby Castle pub

4.10 Historical routes dating from before the Anglo-Boer War. The road followed by Sir Jameson during his infamous Jameson Raid runs right through the farm (the Rosmincol Road)

4.11 Bush braai under the starry sky on the banks of the Elands River

5 THE ROAD FORWARD

The Goodeys are looking forward to welcoming visitors here with great anticipation. Visitors are welcome to make bookings from April 2019 and we will endeavor to advertise on all the well-known search sites such as Lekkeslaap, Booking.com or Afristay!