Mac-Mac

Last updated

Mac-Mac is a historical area in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, and the site of the country's earliest gold rush. It is located near the town of Sabie, 5 km from Pilgrim's Rest. [1]

While a number of small gold deposits had been discovered in the northern parts of South Africa between 1840 and 1870, Mac-Mac was the first place where payable quantities of gold were found. [1] In 1873 gold was discovered on the farm Geelhoutboom. President Burgers officially named the area the New Caledonian Gold Fields, [1] but it became known as Mac-Mac because of the amount of Scottish diggers at the camp. [2] Within one year, 1,500 diggers made 4,000 claims. [3]

The nearby Mac Mac twin falls, originally a single stream, acquired their current appearance when gold miners blasted the stream to reach the gold-bearing reef over which it drops. [4]

In the late 1990s the old forestry station and forester houses were used to start the Mac Mac Forest Retreat. [2]

Related Research Articles

Gold rush New gold discovery triggering an onrush of miners seeking their fortune

A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, the United States, and Canada while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.

Vaal River Tributary of the Orange River, South Africa

The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Ermelo and only about 240 kilometres (150 mi) from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction with the Orange River southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. It is 1,458 kilometres (906 mi) long, and forms the border between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West Province on its north bank, and the Free State on its south.

Transvaal (province) Former province of South Africa

The Province of the Transvaal, commonly referred to as the Transvaal, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the Vaal River. Its capital was Pretoria, which was also the country's executive capital.

Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

Mpumalanga is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area. It shares borders with the South African provinces of Limpopo to the north, Gauteng to the west, the Free State to the southwest, and KwaZulu-Natal to the south. The capital is Mbombela. Mpumalanga was formed in 1994, when the Eastern Transvaal was merged with KaNgwane. Although the contemporary borders of the province were only formed at the end of apartheid, the region and its surroundings has a history that extends back thousands of years. Much of its history, and current significance is as a region of trade.

Mbombela City in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Mbombela is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about 110 km (68 mi) by road west of the Mozambique border, 330 km (210 mi) east of Johannesburg and about 82 km (51 mi) north of the Eswatini border. Mbombela was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Witwatersrand Gold Rush Gold rush in Johannesburg, South Africa

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a gold rush in 1886 that led to the establishment of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a part of the Mineral Revolution.

Welkom Place in Free State, South Africa

Welkom is the second-largest city in the Free State province of South Africa, located about 140 kilometres (90 mi) northeast of Bloemfontein which is the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The city's Sesotho name, Matjhabeng means 'where nations meet', derived from the migrant labour system, where people of various countries such as Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique etc. met to work in the mines of the gold fields.

Barberton is a town in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, which has its origin in the 1880s gold rush in the region. It is situated in the De Kaap Valley and is fringed by the Makhonjwa Mountains. It is 43 kilometres (27 mi) south of Mbombela and 360 kilometres (220 mi) east of Johannesburg.

Pilgrims Rest, South Africa Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Pilgrim’s Rest is a small museum town in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa which is protected as a provincial heritage site. It was the second of the Transvaal gold fields, attracting a rush of prospectors in 1873, soon after the MacMac diggings started some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away. Alluvial panning eventually gave way to deeper ore mining. In the 1970s the town, not greatly changed, became a tourist destination.

Ermelo, Mpumalanga Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Ermelo is the educational, industrial and commercial town of the 7,750 km2 Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga province, Republic of South Africa. It is both a mixed agriculture and mining region. It is located 210 km east of Johannesburg.

Wakkerstroom,, is the second oldest town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is on the KwaZulu-Natal border, 27 km east of Volksrust and 56 km south-east of Amersfoort.

Mpumalanga Black Aces F.C. Football club

Black Aces were a South African football club that played in the Premier Soccer League. Aces usually played their home games in the Mpumalanga province but were based and trained in Johannesburg.

Berlin Falls Waterfall in Mpumalanga, South Africa

The Berlin Falls is a waterfall in Mpumalanga, South Africa. They are located close to God's Window and the highest waterfall in South Africa's Mpumalanga province, Lisbon Falls. They are less than a tenth of the height of South Africa's tallest waterfall, the Tugela Falls, and are better known for their beauty.

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve Biosphere reserve in South Africa

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is situated in the Drakensberg escarpment region of eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. The reserve protects the Blyde River Canyon, including sections of the Ohrigstad and Blyde Rivers and the geological formations around Bourke's Luck Potholes, where the Treur River tumbles into the Blyde below. Southwards of the canyon, the reserve follows the escarpment, to include the Devil's and God's Window, the latter a popular viewpoint to the lowveld at the reserve's southern extremity.

Australian gold rushes Mass movement of Australian workers to places rumored to have gold (1851–1910s)

During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of New South Wales had suppressed the news out of the fear that it would reduce the workforce and so destabilise the economy.

Camila Brait Brazilian volleyball player

Camila de Paula Brait is a volleyball player from Frutal, Brazil, who plays as a libero. She currently defends Osasco Voleibol Clube and is retired from the Brazilian national team.

New South Wales experienced the first gold rush in Australia, a period generally accepted to lie between 1851 and 1880. This period in the history of New South Wales resulted in a rapid growth in the population and significant boost to the economy of the colony of New South Wales. The California Gold Rush three years prior signaled the impacts on society that gold fever would produce, both positive and negative. The New South Wales colonial government concealed the early discoveries, but various factors changed the policy.

Lisbon Falls (waterfall) Waterfall in Mpumalanga, South Africa

The Lisbon Falls are falls in the Lisbon Creek, a right bank tributary of the Blyde River. They are situated a short distance north of Graskop beside the R532 road, and are the highest waterfalls in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The waterfalls are 94 metres (308 ft) high and were named for the capital city of Portugal.

The Makhonjwa Mountains, also known as the Barberton Greenstone Belt or Barberton Mountain Land, is a range of small mountains and hills that covers an area of 120 by 60 kilometres, about 80% in Mpumalanga, a province of South Africa, and the remainder in neighbouring Eswatini.

Panorama Route Road in South Africa

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Echo Caves". Burgersfort.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Mac Mac Gold Panning Club". Mac Mac Gold Panning Club. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. "Gold Panning in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa". USA Today. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. "Mac Mac Falls, Mpumalanga". SA-Venues. Retrieved 10 January 2014.

Coordinates: 24°59′28″S30°48′47″E / 24.991°S 30.813°E / -24.991; 30.813