Koppies is a small railway station town situated near the Renoster River in the Free State province of South Africa.
The town of Koppies lies 55 km north of Kroonstad, just off the N1 between Kroonstad and Sasolburg. The nature reserve is 16 km east of town. The town is located at 1400 m above sea level.
In 1904, General CR de Wet, in his capacity as Minister of Agriculture, established an irrigation settlement on the banks of the Renoster River for farmers who were left destitute after the Anglo-Boer War. The Kopjes Dam was built in 1912. Emily Hobhouse introduced and promoted the Home Industry concept here and played an important role in the construction of Koppies.
Koppies is located in an area of agricultural significance and mainly provides services in this regard to the surrounding rural areas. The three well-established and developed irrigation schemes subsequently enhance the agricultural character of the area and provide water resources to the De Beers mine development initiative.
The Ocean Bentonite Mine near Koppies in the north-west Free State is one of only two in the country. Bentonite is a clay that has a wide variety of uses, including the sealing of dams, wine processing, the making of cat litter and catalysis.
