Montana

Montana, Pretoria

Montana, a quiet suburb north east of Pretoria, lies nestled virtually in the foothills of the Magaliesberg almost in a world of its own with its subtropical climate. Montana is a relatively new suburb and homes in Montana are modern, rest on large properties and have large cultivated gardens.

This part of Pretoria may once have been predominantly small holdings sought by those wanting to escape the city yet remain close enough for easy access, but today it's a lively neighbourhood with its own hospital, the Kolonade shopping centre, Montana crossing, and access to restaurants and the Wonderboom Airport, used mostly for air trips. It also bears remembering that you're only 15 odd kilometres from the centre of Pretoria when staying in Montana and trips to visit museums, monuments and the theatre are relatively simple.

On the other side of the N1 from Montana, the Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve provides a wonderful outing. The reserve is divided roughly into two sections - the northern and southern sections. The northern stretches are given over mostly to leisure activities that include canoeing and fishing, whilst the southern part is essentially a bird sanctuary, and on weekends certainly, the quieter of the two.

A fairly short trip from the Roodeplaat Dam is the little mining town of Cullinan where it's easy to lose oneself in history for part of a day exploring the typical little corrugated iron mining houses or going on a tour of the mine, which allows one great insight into the processing of diamonds after discovery.