The town is also called 'Harties' by visitors, and is a resort situated in the Bojanala Region, along the shores of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The area was originally a farm called Schoemansville, named after General Hendrik Schoeman. Today it is called Hartbeespoort, which means 'gateway of the hartbees' in Afrikaans, and Schoemansville is its oldest suburb. The dam is surrounded by the Magaliesberg mountain range, and offers a wide range of watersports.