Built in 1855–56 with support from Barry & Nephews, the Malgas Dutch Reformed Church is a heritage landmark. Its bell once called farmers down to the river when steamers arrived. Floods destroyed some early contents, but the church itself endured as the heart of this riverside port.
The Malgas Pont began service in the early 1830s—credited to Joseph Barry himself—and became South Africa’s last operating hand-drawn river ferry. Today, visitors still cross the Breede this way, sharing in nearly two centuries of Overberg history.
Launched in Scotland in 1859, the Kadie was a screw steamer built specially to run upriver from Port Beaufort to Malgas. She carried wool, grain, and goods between Cape Town and the Overberg—covering the journey in just 2½ hours. In December 1865, the Kadie struck the bar at the Breede mouth and was lost. Her story marks both the high point and decline of river trade.