The Eastern Cape town of Despatch lies situated between the vibrant city of Port Elizabeth and the industial centre of Uitenhage, and though the town is still relativley new having been established in 1942, it still has a certain laid back atmosphere which attracts many new residents to the town. Over the years Despatch has become known as the Town of Roses, because of the many rose bushes which line the town's streets and buildings.As a result of this, the Despatch Annual Carnival hosts a rose show towards the end of each year which attracts thousand of visitors to the colorful and fragrant event.

Despatch is home to a wide and interesting variety of attractions and activities such as the Despatch Musueum, but because the small town is so close to Port Elizabeth, it shares many other attractions with its much larer neighbor. The Despatch Museum houses a miniature model of the Stegasaurus, which was discovered in Despatch in 1903. The original dinosaur is on display at Bayworld in Port Elizabeth.

Other sites of interests include the Despatch Chimney or Campanile, built in 1882 as part of the successful brickworks industry which thrived in the region at the time. Today the Campanile can still be viewed towering over a vacabt field on the outskirts of the town.