Pilgrim's Rest

PILGRIM’S REST

Pilgrim’s rest is a National historic monument; in living memory of the early gold rush in South Africa during the late 1800’s, early 1900’s.

The town is found in Mpumalanga province, and split in two, the upper and lower Pilgrim’s Rest.

Royal Hotel is accommodation offering the old-world atmosphere with the surrounding houses offering over 50 double bedrooms. The Royal Hotel is made entirely of corrugated iron, where one can imagine the 1870’s gold rush where successful miners wanted to celebrate their success or those not so to drown their sorrows. The Royal Hotel is known for the Church Bar. A notice board states outside the hotel that it is tradition for every visitor to Pilgrim’s Rest have a beer at the Church Bar.  

 

Pilgrim’s Rest is a mine settlement lost in time. Here you can follow the footsteps of gold prospectors, have a drink in a legendary bar.

Pilgrim’s Rest is the town where the famous dog Jock of the bushveld lived with his master.

In September each year gold panning championships take place recreating the furore of the gold rush.

Wide varieties of shops can be found selling antiques, collectables, arts, crafts and curios.

You can explore Pilgrim’s Rest and surrounding areas in a 4x4 or try your hand at fly-fishing, over night hiking or hot air-ballooning.

For the adrenaline junky try one of the world’s largest cable gorge swings with a 68M freefall or fly across the 80M high gorge on the high wire slide, both are located at Panorama Gorge in Graskop about 15km from the village.

There are loads to see, firstly go to the Central Information Office where they will provide you with an overview of Pilgrim’s Rest, including brochures, maps and tickets for tours. At the information centre is a small museum with a number of interesting exhibits about the town’s history. There you will be able to get a good background about the history of the gold mining operations, the old photographs of the town and the people of the time. The Central Information Centre is located on the main street.

If architecture interests you, there are a few churches like the Sacred Heart Church, St Mary’s Church, Methodist Church and the Dutch Reformed Church.

Take a tour through the Digging and Gold Panning museum and experience how alluvial gold was panned, detailing the pioneer’s journey.

The Dresden Shop and House Museum with the town’s original general dealer including where the shop owner lived in the back of the house with the original goods displayed in the street side shop. The House Museum is a well-preserved Victorian era home that is open for public viewing. The rooms that are open for viewing is the living room, dining room, bedroom and kitchen, all the rooms contain period furniture and adornments.

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The Historic Cemetery has early graves of the town’s residents showing the common causes of death at the time. The 19^th Century grave of a tent robber caught in the act lies perpendicular to the others.

The Joubert Bridge built in 1896 is situated at the western entrance of the town, where there is a monument in remembrance of the 1938 Great Trek. The bridge was named after Commandant Piet Joubert.

Mount Sheba Nature Reserve has a series of outstanding walks throughout the reserve offering stunning scenery.

Pilgrim’s Rest offers daily or overnight horseback riding at the Ponieskrantz Stables.

The Central Garage Museum is the town garage of Pilgrim’s Rest. It now serves as a transportation museum with antique cars and trucks as well horse-drawn wagons and carriages.

The War Memorial was erected to honour the men of Pilgrim’s Rest who fought and died in the First and Second World War’s, there is an oak tree next to the memorial which was planted as an acorn from the Battle of Dellville Wood.

Our Golden Heritage Museum shows the history of gold in Pilgrim’s Rest, where gold was discovered in the Pilgrim’s Creek, which caused the first major gold rush in South Africa.

A tribute to the printing industry is the Printing museum.

The TGME Golf Course is a 9-hole with shared greens, the Clubhouse walls material was brought by ox-wagon from the Groot Marico.

 

  Take a trip to Pilgrims Rest, it will be well worth it, there are loads more to see, I have just scraped the surface.