The small town of Hopefield lies on the banks of the Sout River in the West Coast region of the Western Cape – 100 km due north of Cape Town and 40km east of Saldanha Bay. Founded in 1852, it is the oldest town in the area, and has retained its rural, agricultural character over the decades, with a population of just 6 800 people. The town is a centre for the wheat farms that lie to the north and east, and which grow the crop over the winter months.