FORBES REEFThis wayside village owes its name to the gold reef discovered here in late 1883 or 1884 by Alec Forbes and Charles Swears. The Forbes Main Reef became the second most productive mine in Swaziland, and between 1884 and 1935 production totalled 31 037 ounces. The mine closed in 1935, but mining of some of the other reefs continued until 1966. The Forbes Reef Mine lies in the Malolotja Nature Reserve. BADPLAASSituated in the foothills of the Hlumuhlumu Mountains along the Seekoeispruit, Badplaas owes its name, meaning ‘bathing place’, to the strong thermal spring surfacing here. The spring has a temperature of 53° at its source. Long before the first white pioneers learnt about the spring, however, its curative powers were known to the Swazi people, who named it Emanzana, or ‘the healing waters’. In 1876, a hunter named Jacob de Clerque chanced upon the spring, and it soon became a popular winter escape for people living on the Highveld. Covering 65 ha, the Badplaas resort has 14 swimming pools, a spa, supertubes, water slides, a river ride with a 170 m drop and a host of other recreational facilities. Visitors can choose from a wide range of accommodation options. A variety of game can be seen in the adjoining 1 000-ha natue reserve. |
