In our great South Africa itinerary, Queenstown marks an overnight stop as part of the drive from Graaff-Reinet to the Mehloding Trail in Kwazulu Natal.
Today, the town has a population of about 140,000 and is the administrative center of the agricultural Chris Hani District.
Its past as a fortified outpost in the borderland between the British, Xhosa and Boers can be seen on the city map. It is characterized by a hexagonal square with a street running from each corner. There was a cannon in the center of the hexagon that could fire into any of the six aisles.