Mount Edgecombe was founded in 1849 when Captain William Smeardon was given a plot of land under the Byrne Emigration Scheme (1849 – 1851). He built the first sugar mill in the area in 1859.
The sugar mill was not very profitable and production was low. This changed when Marshall Campbell purchased the mill in 1895. With this takeover, Natal Estates Limited, one of the largest sugar milling giants in South Africa was born.
Under the Campbells, the Sugar Mill witnessed unprecedented growth. The expansion of the company resulted in the establishment of twenty-two sugar estates whose specific purpose was to cultivate and provide a constant supply of sugar cane to the Mount Edgecombe Sugar Mill. The closure of the Mount Edgecombe Sugar Mill in 1994 witnessed the end of an important chapter in the history of the sugar industry in Kwa Zulu Natal.
Today most of the twenty- two estates have been sold to private developers. Life in the village has changed. Many of the local villagers have left to seek new jobs. Some have purchased the company homes and continue to live in the estates. People who now occupy the villages are strangers to each other. Life in the villages has changed and continues to change with the passage of time and it will never be the same again. The Mill and the Sugar Estates attracted people of all cultures due to their rich cultural heritage. A rainbow of true colors and an environment of rich sweet aroma, an experience the young and the young at heart will always remember for a long time.
The cache is located in a busy center, please exercise extreme stealth and place in the exact same spot as found.