KARKLOOF FALLS After winding through grasslands and pine plantations, the Karkloof River tumbles over the Woodhouse Falls before plunging 88 m over a sheer cliff into the 50-km-long forested Karkloof Valley. Situated on a plantation owned by forest products company Sappi, picnic facilities are provided, but the area is closed to the public during the fire season. Keep an eye out for the Karkloof blue butterfly (Orachrysops ariadne) which is endemic to the area and which is also the emblem of the Midlands Meander.
At one time, the valley was the main route between Natal and the Transvaal; the Afrikaans name means ‘horse cart ravine’, and refers to an incident in 1845 when a horse cart overturned after the horses took fright. The Karkloof River is a tributary of the Mgeni River, and its Zulu name, Mlambomunye, means ‘one stream’ or ‘another stream’. MOOI RIVERMooi River, the northern gateway to the Midlands, is a busy agricultural centre for the surrounding cattle and dairy farms, as well as several racehorse studs. The town was named after the Mooi River (Afrikaans for ‘beautiful river’), a tributary of the Thukela, which rises high in the Drakensberg. The Rhode Museum contains photographic displays and a collection of dairy implements. The upper reaches of the Mooi River offer some of the finest brown trout angling in the country. FORT NOTTINGHAMSurrounded by undulating hills and plains, the quiet agricultural settlement of Nottingham Road was founded in 1905. It owes its name to the Nottingham Regiment, which was stationed here in the early 19th century in anticipation of incursions by the Basotho. Situated some 10 km south, Fort Nottingham is the third-oldest fort in KwaZulu-Natal. It was built in 1856 to discourage cattle raiding by the San. During the Langalibalele Rebellion of 1873, the fort served as a base for military operations against Chief Langalibalele. LION’S RIVERBetween Lion’s River and Tweedie, a commemorative plinth marks the site where South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, was arrested on 5 August 1962, while driving with Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) member Cecil Williams. Following his arrest, Mandela was tried with ten others in what became known as the Rivonia Trial, which began in October 1963 and ended in June 1964. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, many years of which were spent on Robben Island, and was released on 11 February 1990. MIDMAR DAM ...is one of the major components of the Midmar Scheme, which provides water to millions of urban and rural households from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Situated on the Mgeni River, the dam has a capacity of 178 million m3 and covers 15,6 km3 when full. It consists of a 140-m-long concrete overspill section flanked by earth embankments, with a total length of 1 310 m. Construction began in 1961 and was completed four years later. A popular venue for yachting, water-skiing and windsurfing enthusiasts, Midmar also offers excellent opportunities for bass and carp fishing. The dam and certain designated areas are managed as a resort, offering accommodation, camping, children’s playgrounds and picnic spots. The adjoining Midmar Nature Reserve is managed by KZN Wildlife, and has been stocked with white rhino, reedbuck, red hartebeest, Burchell’s zebra, blesbok and blue wildebeest.
|
