Silver Lakes, Pretoria

Lying to the east of Tshwane / Pretoria's centre, Silver Lakes is a residential and golfing estate aimed at upmarket clientèle for whom a golf course on a series of lakes is the ultimate investment.

The main draw card here is the championship golf course designed by Peter Matkovich, who loves water design features, such as the ones incorporated in Silver Lakes, such that his courses have become characterised by them. Water plays a role on 10 out of the 18 holes and proves challenging to some.

The views from here across Pretoria are beautiful and marred by very little, now that bushveld, the natural vegetation of the region, has been restored and wildlife has been encouraged to return. Bird life is particularly pretty and even rare bird species like the African spoonbills, purple gallinules and the fish eagle share this space with people. In the grasslands grass owls, larks and whydahs widows make Silver Lakes their home.

Evenings are filled with the sounds of frogs and a rich variety of insects winding down as the sun sets, and the mongoose and Cape clawless otter are frequently spotted amongst the grasslands. Through these wind a series of paved pathways that offer safe space in which to walk, jog or even cycle.

So it is not a surprise to learn that this way of life is much sought after and, set as it is on the edge of Pretoria nearest neighbour to another estate known as Willow Acres and not far from the N4 with beautiful views across the Bronberge, Silver Lakes is a lovely place to stay. More importantly it is only 20 kilometres away from the city centre and reaching Johannesburg is an easy commute.