The earliest well-known travellers through the town of Carnarvon mention the oasis-like fountain of ‘Schietfontein‘ and its surroundings in their descriptions of the area. A unique architectural feature of the area is numerous corbelled houses, which are built entirely of stone with flat stones protruding from a domed roof. These beehive-shaped stone structures were built by the Trekboers as they lacked wood for trusses. An example of a corbelled house can be seen next to the municipality offices in town.
The present information centre of Carnarvon contains a small museum portraying the early history of the Rhenish Mission and many street names in town carry the names of early Rhenish missionaries such as Alheit, Sterrenberg, Stremme, Biesenbach and Hartwig. In the town centre the Rhenish church building dating back to 1858 is utilised as an information centre today.
A quirky attraction located close to town is the Tortoise Reserve which is home to 60 mountain tortoises. Each tortoise was named and some are known to respond when called by their name.
