The gold fields of the Lowveld were always a great interest to me.
I enjoy history and geology and, mixed with a good measure of
nature and geocaching, these parts of the country fascinated
me.
Since early times these parts of the continent were searched for
gold and some myths even go so far as that it is to believe that
the Queen of Sheba got her gold from mines in these
parts.
The hisory of Pilgrims Rest is all about the gold discovered in
1873 by an old prospector named Alec "Wheelbarrow" Patterson who
found alluvial gold in a stream, which was later called Pilgrims
Creek. Word spread like wildfire and soon a flood of diggers shook
Wheelbarrow Patterson out of his customary calm. Men of all
nationalities were arriving in ever increasing numbers to cash in
on the rush and by the end of 1873 there were some 1,500 diggers
working 4,000 claims in and around Pilgrim's Rest. Driving through
the beautifull area of Pilgrims Rest one can easily spot the
prospectors diggings in the mountains.
The cache is hidden on the Old Diggings hiking trail (Grade 5)
in the Mount Sheba Nature Reserve. You do not have to be a guest at
the resort to do the trails but for your own safety, please book in
and out at reception if you want to do any of the hiking
trails.
Park your vehicle at reception and make your way past cottage
nr. 1 on a farm track for about 300 meters where you will find the
sign to the Old Diggings. From there it is about a 1.2 km hike to
the cache and you will return on the same track.
Along this walk you will see many large old yellow wood trees
and many other great fauna & flaura. The cliffs and geological
wonders are amazing and the trail crosses the steam on numerous
occasoins. The diggings can be explored as it is not deep into the
mountain and there are also very nice pools to cool off when you
hike the trail in the summer.
You are going to get wet, so plan accordingly. The hike can be
done in less than 3 hours, even with a swim and a picnic.
The cache is at the end of the trail and because GPS reception
might not be perfect, we inluded a spoiler picture.
