About Pilgrim's Rest in Mpumalanga

Posted Mon, 30 Jan (4 months ago)

Another post from guest blogger Ashley Wilkinson - this time a little look at Pilgrim's Rest...

Pilgrim's Rest in Mpumalanga has got to be one of the more famous tourist attractions in South Africa. This historical mining town has been preserved for the amusement of sight-seers.

A miner, Alex Patterson, left the Mac Mac region due to congestion and surprisingly in 1873 found alluvial gold on the farm Ponieskrantz. He tried to keep the discovery secret, but another prospector, William Trafford discovered gold nearby. And so a gold rush began and the little town of Pilgrim's Rest grew. The gold ran out but the town is preserved today as a museum.

A few photos to whet your appetite:

**Lots of old mining equipment on display**

**Disused something - not sure what it was and so over-grown**

**Beautiful views abound**

**Old corrugated iron buildings all look similar to this one**

**The sign reads that this Austin died of "metal cancer"**

ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Ashley Wilkinson is a young South African who enjoys blogging about 'random topics with an African angle' on her blog, aptly entitled 'African Angle.'