The Panorama Route is a scenic road in South Africa connecting several cultural and natural points of interest. The route, steeped in the history of South Africa, is in Mpumalanga province, centred around the Blyde River Canyon , the world's third largest canyon . It features numerous waterfalls, one of the largest afforested areas in South Africa, and several natural landmarks. The route starts at the foot of the Long Tom Pass just outside Lydenburg , following the natural descent from the Great Escarpment to the Lowveld , and ending at the border of the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces near the Echo Caves .
24-543: This route is deeply entrenched in the history of South Africa. From 1871, parts of the route were used as a transport road between Lydenburg and Delagoa Bay . It is also on this route that General Louis Botha fled from the English during the Anglo Boer War , and houses one of the most famous Victorian-age canons in the world, The Long Tom. Many towns on the route, such as Pilgrim's Rest , were established during
48-532: A fortune seeker's town, with close to 1500 "diggers" joining Patterson within a year. Later a mine, Transvaal Gold Mining Estates, was established as the first listed gold mining company in South Africa. National Gold Panning Championships are held annually in the village and visitors can also book a panning experience. Hazyview is a town situated close to the Kruger National Park . The town
72-429: A tourist town in close proximity to many natural landmarks such as God's Window and Bourke's Luck Potholes . Pilgrim's Rest is approximately 35 km north of Sabie . The whole town has been classified as a national monument. It is a restored gold-mining town with several curio shops and Victorian buildings. Its history can be traced back to 1873 when Alex Patterson discovered alluvial gold. It soon became known as
96-532: Is frequented by visitors due to the fact that it is the gateway to the Phabeni Gate of the Kruger National Park. Hazyview is renowned for its various animal sanctuaries, including a world-famous elephant sanctuary. Legend has it that a French-Canadian, only known as Perry, settled in the area whilst fleeing from an alleged murder charge. He started a trading store, but after his death the farm
120-411: Is predominantly an agricultural community with large banana plantations, as well as other fruit-farming activities There are several waterfalls on the route. Most of these waterfalls fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial parks boards. They are open to the public, and many are associated with hiking trails. The Panorama Route is home to several scenic mountain passes. Due to the rich history of
144-669: Is situated on the Sterkspruit/Dorps River tributary of the Lepelle River at the summit of the Long Tom Pass . It has a long, rich history, ranging from AD 500 to the present. The name is derived from the Dutch Lijdenburg , or "Town of Suffering", and is named for the experiences of the white settlers. In Northern Sotho, Mashishing means "long green grass." Lydenburg has become the centre of
168-455: The Bakoni people occupied the area. There is evidence of Bapedi people, who referred to the area as Mashishing, that lived in the surrounding area from as early as the 1700s. Lydenburg was founded in 1849 by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter when they abandoned their previous settlement Ohrigstad (to the north) due to a malaria epidemic. The town became
192-547: The Netherlands and the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek . The town is now home to some game farms and commercial agriculture. The famous Echo Caves are situated about 28 km north of the town. These caves were discovered in 1923 when the owner of the farm Klipfonteinhoek observed his cattle disappear into the cave, drawn to the fresh, cold water. Kiepersol is a small village close to Hazyview. It
216-530: The Transvaal gold rush in the late 1800s. Thousands of fortune seekers crossed the treacherous mountains and rugged terrain in search of gold. One of these was a former storekeeper from Pilgrim's Rest, Percy Fitzpatrick . He wrote the popular book Jock of the Bushveld , recounting some of the adventures he shared with his faithful bull terrier Jock, whilst traversing this famous route. This historic town
240-422: The 1st Viscount Long ) occupied Lydenburg to control the goldfields. It was from here that the ill-fated 94th Regiment under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Robert Anstruther marched to Pretoria . The remainder of the garrison at Lydenburg was besieged from 6 January 1881, following Long's refusal to surrender the garrison on 23 December 1880. Land such as Boomplaats and Aapiesdoorndraai farms, near
264-541: The South African fly-fishing industry and is an agricultural, tourism and mining hub. The area surrounding present day Lydenburg has a long history of human occupation. Rock paintings in surrounding areas point to early Khoe-San hunter-gather groups living on the land. Dating back to AD 500, the earliest known forms of African Iron Age sculpture below the equator, known as the Lydenburg heads were found in
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#1732765715859288-608: The area, the Panorama Route is home to several important cultural and historical sites. These include the following: The Mpumalanga area is rich in natural phenomena, and the majority of these can be found on the Panorama Route. Lydenburg Lydenburg , also known as Mashishing , is a town in Thaba Chweu Local Municipality , on the Mpumalanga highveld, South Africa . It
312-404: The area. The seven earthenware sculptures of heads and other pottery from the site are intricately decorated and may have been used for ceremonial or initiation purposes. However, this is speculative as there is little we know today about the people who made these sculptures. Their existence nevertheless points to Lydenburg's remarkable heritage. From around the 16th century a group referred to as
336-830: The capital of the Lydenburg Republic ('De Republiek Lydenburg in Zuid Afrika') in 1856 and later in 1857 joined the Republic of Utrecht but in 1860 both these republics joined the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek (ZAR) . The town became the capital of the Lydenburg District of the South African Republic (ZAR). Lydenburg became important because it was on the wagon route to the port of Delagoa Bay (now Maputo Bay ) which
360-460: The early 1800s. Europeans settled in Sabie from 1873, when gold was discovered in the area. Since it is a high-altitude town, it was used as a base for early big game hunters, as it was malaria free. The river (also known as the Sabie river) often flooded and was infested with crocodiles; hence the local people called it uluSaba – the river of fear. The natural forests were cleared to supply wood for
384-469: The early 1940s and continued through the 1960s. Residents on the farms, especially through the ICU , ANC and local chiefs, resisted the removals in different ways depending on local circumstances and allegiances. Often violently, the apartheid state removed the families to farms further from the town or to Sekhukhuneland . In 2001, in one of South Africa's first completed land restitution claims, Boomplaats farm
408-639: The mining industry. Through the foresight of Joseph Brook Shires, commercial trees were planted in 1876, leading to Sabie being surrounded by one of the largest man-made forests in the world today. Graskop's history can be traced back to 1837 when the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius and his followers were looking for greener pastures. He wrote in his memoirs of leaving women behind in Graskop (translated as "grassy hill") whilst looking for an ox wagon route to Delagoa Bay . Today Graskop mainly serves as
432-400: The town, was purchased by black South Africans in the early 1900s before the 1913 Land Act severely restricted black land ownership in South Africa. The communities here developed and irrigated the initially arid area into valuable and productive farms. By 1910 the railway reached Lydenburg. In 1927 Lydenburg became a municipality. Forced removals from farms surrounding Lydenburg began in
456-562: Was bought from Willem Pretorius and returned by the state to the Dinkwanyane community. In June 2006, it was announced that Arts and Culture minister, Pallo Jordan , had approved the renaming Lydenburg to Mashishing, meaning "long green grass". Ohrigstad Ohrigstad ( Afrikaans for Ohrig city ), formerly Andries Ohrig Stad , is a small town to the north of Lydenburg in the Limpopo province, South Africa . A fort
480-526: Was discovered in 1873, and the town experienced a brief gold rush. The town also featured prominently on the route from the Transvaal Republic to Delagoa Bay . Today Lydenburg is known for farming, trout fishing and mining. The Panorama Route starts just outside Lydenburg at the foot of the Long Tom Pass . Sabie is known as a forestry and tourist town. The town was inhabited by the Sesotho in
504-418: Was established by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Hendrik Potgieter with the help of a Dutch merchant Gregorius Ohrig. The settlers arrived in 1845 and were soon afterwards decimated by malaria and forced to abandon the area. Settlers only returned once the disease was under control. On the 14 May 1873, the area was proclaimed as a public gold field after the discovery of gold in
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#1732765715859528-447: Was founded in 1850 by Voortrekker leader Andries Potgieter . For a brief period it served as the capital of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek . Long before this, a mysterious civilization occupied the region. The Lydenburg Heads are hollow terracotta sculptures dating back to 500AD. These sculptures are believed to have been used in religious ceremonies by these people. The Lydenburg Museum showcases some of these finds. Alluvial gold
552-611: Was not under British control. In 1871 construction of the road was started by Abraham Espag under the orders of President Thomas François Burgers . The first wagons arrived in Lydenburg from Delagoa Bay in 1874. On 6 February 1873, alluvial gold was discovered and within 3 months the Lydenburg goldfields were proclaimed. The First Boer War broke out between Britain and the Transvaal Republic in 1880. A British garrison under Lieutenant Walter Hillyar Colquhoun Long (uncle of
576-484: Was sold, and one of the first private game reserves in South Africa was proclaimed on the land. The economy of this town is driven by tourism, agriculture (specifically banana farming), and retail. Ohrigstad is a small town on the border of Mpumalanga and the Limpopo province. The town was established by Voortrekkers in 1845, and is named after Voortrekker leader Andries Hendrik Potgieter , and G. G. Ohrig, an Amsterdam trader who wanted to cultivate trade between
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