ROCKYDRIFT PRIVATE NATURE RESERVE
Self Catering Cottage/ House/ Bungalow Accommodation
in Waterval Boven, Escarpment,
Mpumalanga, South Africa
There is one cottage with 3 bedrooms, 2 with queen size beds (one ensuite)
and 1 bedroom with 2 single beds. The cottage is fully serviced including
fridge/freezer, stove, microwave, all kitchen utilities, towels. The unit has a
TV, radio, DVD player, CD player and decoder. (BRING OWN SMARTCARD). There is a
bar and restaurant at the hotel next door, (200m)
Attractions Nearby
Krugerhof at Waterval Onder (1km)
Krugerhof was the last residence of President Stephanus Johannes
Paulus Kruger in the South African Republic (ZAR).
Kruger was born in 1825 in the Cape Colony. He took part in the Great Trek, 1836
- 1838, and became Commandant General of the ZAR in 1862. He was elected to his
first term as President in 1883 and served four consecutive terms, until 1900,
when he left South Africa. He died, in self-imposed exile, in Switzerland on 14
July 1904 and was buried in Pretoria on 16 December 1904.
Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg - Maatschappij (NZASM) Tunnel between
Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder
One of President Kruger's greatest ideals was for the land-locked ZAR to have a
free passage to the sea, without having to pass through British territory. The
railway line between Pretoria and Delagoa Bay was opened in 1895.
The NZASM tunnel, today a national monument, is 400m long and was completed in
1883. It was internationally considered to be a magnificent feat of engineering
for the time. Because of the 208 metre rise along the 7 kilometres between
Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder, it was decided to cut a tunnel through the
Elandsberg and employ just over 3 km of rack railway to the Riggenbach system.
The stone with which the tunnel is lined was cut in Italy and merely placed in
position here. The rack railway remained in use until 1908 when more
sophisticated equipment rendered it obsolete.
Five-Arch Bridge - Waterval Onder (3km)
A sturdy five-arch bridge a short distance below the tunnel was declared a a
national monument in 1963. It was constructed of dressed stone cut in Italy.
The bridge carried the famous "Eastern Line" or "Oosterlijn" railway track
accross the precipitous gorge of the Dwaalheuwel Spruit. It opened to rail
traffic on 20 June 1894 and the rack rail ran along the bridge until it was no
longer needed.
The bridge was then converted to a road bridge and served as such for many years
until the new tunnel was constructed next to the NZASM Tunnel, and the present
road was completed.
Elands River Falls - Waterval Onder (5km)
The 70m-high Elands River Falls can be seem through the NZASM tunnel.
Declared a national monument, the falls lends its name to two towns. Waterval
Boven (Dutch for "above the waterfall") and Waterval Onder ("below the
waterfall") are situated about 10km apart in the beautiful Elandsberg range
where the Highveld escarpment plunges to meet the lowveld.
The waters of the Elands River stream in three separate ribbons over a sheer
cliff (offering some of the best rock climbing in the country), splashing onto a
tumble of rocky boulders before cascading into a deep, clear pool.
The historical Lime Kilns at Ngodwana. (40km)
Sodwala Caves - (60km)
Looming above the beautifully wooded valley of the bustling mountain torrent
known as the "Houtbosloop", there is a majestic massif known as Mankelexele
(Crag on crag / Rock upon rock) In the great massif dolomite rock there is one
of the most astonishing caves in Southern Africa, an as yet unplumbed complex of
passages and giant chambers extending into the mysterious heart of the mountain.
The Sudwala Caves are the oldest known caves in the world, and as such, are a
'must-see' on the itinerary of any visitor to Mpumalanga. These incredible
caverns lie in the Drakensberg escarpment which separates the Highveld from the
lowlands of Mpumalanga. The caves are situated in Pre-cumbrian dolomite rocks of
the Malmani Group, formed over a period of some 3000 million years, capturing in
stone a time when the area was covered by warm shallow in-land seas. These are
amongst the second oldest known sedimentary rocks on the earth, and represented
in the cave are fossils of the first oxygen producing plants on the earth,
Collenia. One can clearly see in the different layers and textures in the rock a
reflection of the result of the different weather patterns taking place in the
building of an ancient seabed. Besides the awesome rock displays the caverns
also boast an array of calcium formations, aged but active, anciently and
patiently still growing.
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