The hartebeest is an antelope once common to the area. The name is the old Afrikaans language word for "place of the Hartebeest", and dates back to the farm established here in the late 1800's. The modern spelling in Afrikaans would be "Hartbeeshoek". Hartebeest no longer occur here naturally, but have been reintroduced on local game farms.

Updated by Mike Gaylard 05/03/98 ( mike@hartrao.ac.za)