Knysna, South Africa

Knysna is on the N2, and is part of the Western Cape's scenic garden route.

Property

Millwood mine

In 1876, deep in the indigenous forests near Knysna at the lower reaches of the Karatara River, an alluvial gold nugget was discovered by James Hooper in a stream (named Victoria Jubilee Creekin 1887 in honour of Queen Victoria's Jubilee). By 1885 the rush began with prospectors scrambling for digging rights. Because a sawmill was operated in the area, it became known as Millwood.

In 1886 a gold reef was discovered and in 1887 the Millwood Goldfields was officially opened. Unfortuanately, the quartz layers in which the gold was found had folded and faulted over the millenia and the reefs tended to "dissapear". The last attempt to mine gold by a syndicate in 1920 again failed.

Accommodation

Endlovana (Place of the little elephant) Coastal Hideaway

This 85-hectare piece of sea-fronting fynbos is owned by Susan Campbell. No permanent structures may be built on the sensitive milkwood dune forest, so accommodation is in luxury safari tents. Contact Susan Campbell at 082-570-6894 or sucam@mweb.co.za

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