Nestled
between the back drop of Spitskop and Mount Anderson, the forestry haven, Sabie
lies. The town is named after the Sabie River which is well known for its
fearful crocodiles and fearful current.
On the edge of the escarpment is a plateau. 1 109 meters above sea level and overlooked to the west by the highest peak of the Transvaal Drakensburg - the 2 284 meter Mount Anderson - and the 2 114 meter
Mauchsberg. On this plateau the Sabie River gathers its upper tributaries, tumbles down in a waterfall, then through a succession of spectacular cascades, finds its way down to the
lowveld. The name of the river is said to come from the Shangane word,
uluSaba, meaning a fearful river - presumably because of the crocodiles and floods in its lower reaches.
The town of Sabie originated in 1895. The well-known hunter
H.T.Glynn, who had brought a farm on the upper reaches of the river, was entertaining friends on a picnic at the waterfall. During a target match after the picnic, bullets chipped the rock and revealed indications of gold. Some of the guests immediately became eager prospectors, and one of them, Captain J.C. Ingle, who knew something of mining, proved over the next few days the existence of a substantial gold reef.
The Glynns-Lydenburg Gold Mining Company was formed to work the discovery, and by the time the mine closed, in July 1950, they had recovered 1 240 646 ounces of gold worth well over R 500 million at today's prices.
The railway line from Nelspruit was opened in November 1913 and the first post office with telephone and telegraph
facilities was granted in 1916. It became a municipality in 1924, and today is the centre for large-scale
forestation and sawmilling enterprises. The
first commercial trees were planted by Joseph Shires in 1875.
Today these plantations are the largest manmade forestry area in the
world. In the 1930's during the depression, forestry jobs were
created for the poor. Ceylon House, near Bridal Veil Falls, is the
last remaining Pioneer House of the settlement.
The timber industry came about owing to the demand for pit props in the mine, but it soon became apparent that soil, climate and water supply made the escarpment an ideal area for trees. The government
forestry department followed the lead of the mining companies and also established huge plantations of pine and gums trees after the Anglo-Boer War.
In the Sabie district today there are several sawmills, including the Mondi Timber Mill, the largest in the
southern hemisphere. East of the town is the government tree-breeding station, where cross pollination and experimental breeding take place in a constant effort to improve timber quality and yields.
Patches of indigenous forest survive in some of the valleys, and the banks of streams are covered with wild flowers and ferns. The Bridal Veil Falls, the Lone Creek Waterfall and the Horseshoe Falls can all be reached from the scenic forest track along the south bank of the Sabie River.
There is fishing and swimming in the river, and on it's banks are a hotel and a caravan park. The Sabie Village Council maintains South Africa's only Forestry Museum, which caters for many thousands of visitors each year.
There is also a “Jock of the Bushveld” way-mark
indicates the position of the old transport road used by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick.
Search
Lowveldinfo.com for more information relating to Sabie.
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