Sep 15, 2018 | Nelspruit Lodge
Travelling in and Around Graskop
While visiting Nelspruit, it is well worth your while to take in the beautiful surrounding areas. Graskop is one of those small towns sitting neatly on the Panorama Route. It was once a popular tourist destination, mostly for those passing through, while now it has firmly fixated itself as a must visit place. This small town serves the timber industry, with plantations surrounding the town and back in the day, it was a gold mining camp that dates back to the 1880’s.
The town itself is a great place to stop for lunch and pick up a few souvenirs but most visitors will find the real adventures just outside the town.
The Waterfalls
Scattered around Graskop you will be able to view several waterfalls. Lisbon Falls is said to be one of the most scenic in the area. The Lisbon River separates into three before tumbling 94 meters over a semi-circle rock face, making the Lisbon Falls the highest in the province. The Lisbon Falls are easily accessible for tourists and while you are there why not pack a picnic basket as there are picnic spots available under the shade of lovely trees.
Tumbling down 80 meters from the Sabie River is the Berlin Falls. This waterfall cascades into the most beautiful jade coloured pool below and is surrounded by red cliffs. The Berlin Falls are best observed from the platform above.
Not the highest but by far the most stunning, the Mac Mac Falls plummets 70 meters into a gorge below. Mac Mac Falls is split in two but was not always so. Back in the gold rush days, gold miners actually blasted the rock in an attempt to reach the gold-bearing reef behind the falls thereby splitting the falls into two. During the dry season, you will find that the falls revert back to one stream. Mac Mac Falls has a braai and picnic area as well as several pools where you can cool off after a day of sight-seeing. Mac Mac Falls also has a 3km “Secretary Bird Trail” which offers a delightful walk through the bush.
The Best Views
If you looking for a one of a kind experience, a definite must is a visit to the Graskop Gorge Lift. Guests can hop into this passenger elevator and travel down 51 meters of cliff face into the lush green forest below. Once down in the forest, you will find a massive network of trails made up of suspension bridges and elevated walkways. Also to be seen from the walkways is the Panorama Gorge Falls that stem from the Motitsi River, before crashing down 70 meters into the gorge below. Small retail outlets, a bar and restaurant are balanced on the edge of the cliff and make this an unforgettable experience.
Go Hiking
Finally, you can take a hike on a three-hour circular trail that starts and ends at the Graskop Holiday Resort. This hiking trail is known as the Jock of the Bushveld or Fairyland hike, and is roughly 8km long. Walking along the escapement, you will find yourself overlooking the Pinnacle Gorge. En route you will pass Sir Percy Fitzpatrick’s overnight camp as well as pass some oddly shaped rocks known as Fairyland. The only expense you will have on this walk, is the price of your sunscreen, as there is precious little shade.
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Book your stay at Nelspruit Lodge and experience the vibrancy of Mpumalanga. Our Nelspruit accommodation is affordably priced and centrally located, making it ideal for tourists and those visiting on business.
Sep 10, 2018 | Nelspruit Lodge
(1884 – 1970)
Nelspruit has come a long way, and all of those little bits of interesting history that we come across in the books, have contributed to what the town has become. In this blog, we look back briefly over the history of the town, that has now become Mbombela.
1884
In August 1884 a report was published in the Government Gazette after Railway surveyors met with the Nel Brothers and Nelspruit took its first steps towards becoming a town by being given official recognition.
1889
120 stands are set out around the station for future development.
1892
The railways from Lourenco Marques reaches Nelspruit on the 20 June. In November the Hall family opened its doors to a hotel, mainly to accommodate railway workers. The hotel named “The Figtree Hotel” was to be the first building erected in town.
1905
Nelspruit is proclaimed and the land made available for buyers.
1913
Nelspruit gets its first telephone exchange in February. In August the Lowveld Farmers Association had its first meeting, at the Figtree Hotel.
1916
The first Barclays Bank opens its doors in this year and it is also the year the first school was established in Nelspruit.
1918
In 1918 the first Post Office opened up.
1922
Nelspruit has an upgrade, it is now officially a town.
1925
Following a visit from an American professor, Nelspruit is advised to establish a Research Institute. 300 acres are set aside and the station begins operating in 1926.
Peter Wilhelm, the chair of the Nelspruit Town Council meets the Prince of Wales.
1927
Ivan Solomon is now the sole owner of Crocodile estates, previously owned by British investors, an area consisting of 601 plots, each 5 acres in size. The streets of Nelspruit are lined with freshly planted trees and by July the first motor car is seen in these streets. The road from Johannesburg to Komatipoort is also completed in 1927.
1931
Rio Rita, the first talking movie is screened in Nelspruit at the Farmers Hall. Due to the increase in motor vehicles, a registration system is put into place for local vehicles. Nelspruit now has its own magisterial district and by November a licensing committee is established.
1932
Although the Great Depression is at its worst, Nelspruit got its first truck!
1933
Electricity comes to town, thanks to a hydroelectric dam.
1934
Nelspruit District Publicity Association is established and the motto “Nelspruit, the Hub of the Lowveld” motto is born.
1937
Nelspruit and Kaapmuiden now has a road joining them via Mara.
1939
Although WW2 breaks out this year, Nelspruit’s new hotel the Paragon opens its doors. And even though the Lowveld experiences major floods, the Longmere Dam is completed.
1940
In October the Nelspruit Council is established and its first mayor is elected. This year also sees Nelspruit get its first swimming pool.
1947
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II visits Nelspruit and receives furniture as a gift. Nelspruit extension 2 and West Acres are laid out for housing.
1949
Volkskas Bank now has its first branch in Nelspruit. Hoerskool Nelspruit grounds hosts the first “Nelspruit Show”.
1951
Nelspruit branch of the Land Bank opens in August.
1953
The streets, that previously just had numbers, now get named.
1962
The first hospital in Nelspruit, Rob Ferreira Hospital, is completed.
1964
Nelspruit Laerskool is opened, with 1384 students. The town gets an enlarged police station and Sappi plants its first plantation.
1965
Nelspruit has grown and now sports 1200 homes and 260 registered businesses.
1969
The Botanical Gardens is established as a tourist attraction and also a Scientific Research Station.
1970
The first English High School opens its doors, Lowveld High School.
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And just as the town has grown, Nelspruit Lodge has become the best place to stay in Nelspruit. Our accommodation is both comfortable and affordable, and we welcome guests from all over the country to stay with us the next time they find themselves in town.
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