SABIELong before the first whites settled here, the area was famous with big-game hunters, adventurers and transport riders. The town’s name is derived from the African name Sabielala, meaning the ‘Sabie Sleeping Place’. The first farm, named Grootvantijn (Big Fountain) was awarded to CJ Badenhorst in 1846, but it was the discovery of gold – first alluvial and later reef – which attracted large numbers of diamond-miners and fortune-seekers. The gold fields were nowhere near as rich as those of the Witwatersrand, and most diggers eventually drifted away. Today, Sabie is the centre of one of the largest concentrations of commercial forest plantations in the world.
Not to be missed is a visit to the SAFCOL Forestry Museum, with its interesting displays on the forest products industry. St Peter’s Anglican Church (1913) was designed by the well-known architect, Sir Herbert Baker. Sabie is also an important tourist centre, and there are several magnificent waterfalls in and around the town. Among these are the 70-m-high Bridal Veil Falls, Lone Creek Falls – which leap 68 m over a sheer cliff – Horseshoe Falls and 46-m-high Sabie Falls.
Siyabona Africa Travel recommends hotel accommodation in Sabie |
