Hazyview to Pilgrims Rest

The climb up into the Drakensberg Ranges was almost immediate as we left the town of Hazyview on the Panorama Route. The area planted to eucalypts and pine is vast and the timber industry employs about 100,000 people. The eucalypts in particular are straight and tall and grow in what seems to be ideal conditions as I doubt that there are the pests that affect our trees in Australia. The first stop was the viewpoint known as God's Window, a spectacular panorama looking east from a height of 1700 metres a.s.l. Unfortunately it was a little hazy which is quite typical because of the orographic effect but still spectacular. From there to the Blyde River Canyon (pronounced blader) which is also a magnificent example of water erosion over a long geological period. The rock is a distinctive layering of sandstone and mudstone with some underlying granite and you can look past the canyon to see that it sits on an escarpment as there is a flat plain beyond. Within the canyon you can also see the upper reaches of the Blydepoort Dam.

We retreated towards Graskop and stopped at Bourkes Luck potholes, an equally impressive narrow gorge that was carved by the Blyde and Treeur Rivers. The swirling of the waters through the sedimentary rocks has left amazing pothole formations and this walk over the rocks had us looking forward to Harrie's Pancake House where most people had a tasty savoury pancake for lunch. Lunch was quite leisurely and there was ample time for the shoppers to do some damage before heading to Pilgrims Rest. Looking at my photos I don't think they do justice to the scenery today.

Pilgrims Rest is an old gold mining town that dates back to 1873. By 1874 there were over 4000 miners from all over the world trying their luck but it was mostly depleted by 1877. A much larger company was formed (Transvaal Gold Explorations) and they mined until 1971. There is still gold to be found but at present it is not economically viable to extract it. The town is a heritage listed area and the old buildings have mostly been restored. We are staying in a quaint semi period room at the Royal Hotel which in itself is spread over at least 6 different buildings. We look forward to some more exploration of the town in the morning.