Loerie is a little town in the fertile Gamtoos River Valley. There is a research station and a nature reserve outside the town which is served by the Apple Express, a narrow gauge steam train that runs from Port Elizabeth into the Gamtoos Valley. Every year there is an unusual race where teams running in relays race the train from Loerie to Port Elizabeth. The town is named after the Knysna Loerie (Turaco corythaix) a bird common in the area.
