Sutherland was founded in 1855 as a church and market town to serve the area’s sheep farmers. By 1872 the town had a population of 138 registered citizens living in 19 houses. The large Dutch Reformed church in the centre of Sutherland was built in 1899.
During the Anglo Boer War, the church was used as a fort by garrisoned British soldiers. During the war several engagements between British and Boer forces occurred in the town. In one such engagement a force of 250 Boer commandos attacked the local British garrison for 10 hours. The ruins of a fort can be found on the outskirts of town on the hill called Rebelskop. This was named after this engagement.
Sutherland is the coldest town in South Africa, although the farm Buffelsfontein near Molteno holds the official lowest temperature record in Continental South Africa, of −20.2 °C (−4 °F).
Snowfall in Sutherland is common in winter, and precipitation ranges from 170mm to 300mm mostly in the form of rain. The coldest temperature recorded in Sutherland was −16.4 °C (2.5 °F) on 12 July 2003, and the lowest Daytime temperature was recorded at -6 °C on 2 August 2012.
The nearby South African Astronomical Observatory plays a significant role in the town’s economy and is a major driver of tourism to the area.
CAUTION: Another daylight trading hours town (Did we mention… Coldest Town?)