°Treeferns Trout Lodge is situated in the north-eastern part of South Africa, as shown on the Google Earth map below. I have sticked the pins into Treeferns Trout Lodge and surrounding towns.

If we zoom into the South African map and have a look at the Mpumalanga province and the location of the pins related to Johannesburg and Pretoria, we see:

Finally, the Google Map’s big zoom. Here we see that the pin indicating Treeferns Trout Lodge is about the centre between Dullstroom, Belfast, Machadodorp and Waterval Boven, a region with spectacular views from mountainous routes.

Exceptionally, from a view point on the farm,  one can see the towns of Dullstroom,  Waterval Boven and Machadodorp.  Only the town of Belfast is not visible, due to a small hill in the line of sight.

Imagine standing on one of the highest points in the country with  a 360° scope of approximately 40 km in diameter, circumference of 125 km, and an area of 1300 km². Awesome !  How great Thou art !

A sight to enjoy  – from the lookout point – is to view these towns at night with the town lights shimmering against the night sky.  Come and experience this unbelievable view.

You will notice on both sides of the pin indicating Treeferns Trout Lodge  farms indicated by dark blocks of  cultivated land.

Also notice the Eastern escarpment between these farms with  Treeferns Trout Lodge situated on the edge of the escarpment, which falls away hundreds of meters eastwards down to the Lowveld.

T

he village of Waterval Boven is nestled in the Drakensberg Mountains on the fringe of the escarpment, at the foot of the southern hills. It is rich with historical sites and buildings, which belonged to the old NZASM and are now proclaim national monuments.

There is also the old ZASM Tunnel and Five Arch Bridge, as well as President Paul Kruger’s official residence where he resided in 1900 before going into exile in Europe. The Elands River Waterfall is visible from the mouth of the old Railway Tunnel.

Waterval Boven has always been a railway town. The Nederlandsche Zuid Afrikaansche Spoorweg Maatschappij railway line reached Waterval Boven in 1894, opening up a direct line from Pretoria to the port of Lourenco Marques, known as the “Easternline” or “Oosterlijn”.

Today the Oosterlijn Steam Company has preserved this dramatic piece of history in the operation of class 15F and 25NC steam locomotives, as well as the “JAN WINTERVOGEL” the last remaining NZASM steam locomotive. Vintage rail safaris run through the lush semi tropical lowveld following the course of the Elands River or up through the Mpumalanga highlands into trout country covering some of the most scenic and adventurous steam locomotive routes in Africa.

Accommodation in the town ranging from budget and backpacker to upmarket fraternity chalets.There are numerous fly fishing dams and rivers of the Waterval Boven Trout Association for the fly fishing enthusiast.

For the more adventurous the world-renowned rock climbing cliffs offer challenges to the outdoor enthusiast.

Visit us for accommodation, fun, flyfishing, bird watching, rock climbing and other adventures in the Western Middleveld!

Machadodorp was named after Joachim Machado – the Portuguese surveyor and Governor of Mozambique who established the route of the railway line from Maputo (formerly Lorenzo Marques) to Pretoria.  A railway station opened  on 10th July 1894.

The town started as a railway village in 1894. in 1900 it became the capital of the old Republic for 3 weeks when President Kruger ran his government from railway carriages in a siding of the Machadodorp Railway Station. Following his defeat at the Battle of Berg-en-Dal he went into exile in Mozambique.

Machadodorp is therefore an interesting historical village where President Kruger ran his parliament for 3 weeks during the boer War during 1900. There is a very interesting Boer War Grave Yard at the outskirts of the village, and many other historical sites
Ruins in the form of round stone circles, built by  ancient people, are evident in the area.

Machadodorp is similarly well known for its fly fishing in the Elandsriver, the municipal dams and at a number of private dams in the area.  In 1907 a consignment of trout fry destined for a local farm were too weak to travel to the farm, and in stead tipped into the river and grew to large fish. This is how Machadodorp became a trout fishing destination.

Machadodorp has developed into a little service village for the surrounding sheep, cattle, and trout farms and lodges in the area. It also houses people working for the Asmang Manganese Processing Plant just outside the village. In and around the town various venues can be found for the accommodation of fly fishermen, tourists, etc.

The climate is warm to hot in summer, and brisk and cool in winter.

Regarded as one of the coldest towns in Mpumalanga, it is one of South Africa’s   premier flyfishing destinations. The town is situated at 2100 m above sea level,  making it also one of the highest towns in the country. Dullstroom features the  highest railway station in South Africa at 2,077 m above sea level.

Dullstroom was established in 1883 by Dutchman Wolterus Dull to settle Dutch immigrants who made their way to the place of “eternal mist”. The first settlers from Holland arrived during the period 1884-1887.

Wolterus Dull visited the farm Groot Suikerboschkop during 1890 and found that the settlers had established a small village. This village was proclaimed  a town in 1892 by Paul Kruger and was originally named Dull’s-stroom, later simplified to Dullstroom, after Wolterus Dull and the Crocodile River (stream), which flows nearby.

During the Second Boer War the town was destroyed and most of the settlers returned to the Netherlands. After the war some of the immigrants, including T.N.H. Janson, returned and started to rebuild the village from the ashes. In 1921 the village was granted the status of  Town Council.

Dullstroom is on the panorama route, halfway from Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park.

Dullstroom has five claims to fame:

• it is one of the coldest villages in South Africa
• it is South Africa’s premier trout fishing area
• it is the home of the highest railway station
• it is the only place where elm and beech trees grow in any number
• it is also the only region in South Africa where you will find the endangered Crowned Crane, the Blue Crane, as well as the Wattled Crane which are critically endangered.

In and around Dullstroom there are also numerous venues for accommodation and fly fishing.

Fitzgeraldstreet

The founder of Belfast was Richard O’Neil, whose grand-father was born in Belfast. Ireland. He possessed a large portion of the farm Tweefontein and some other property. On 30 June 1890 the farm Tweefontein was declared  a town by the name of Belfast by President Paul Kruger.

Near the Drakensberg escarpment and 210km east of Pretoria, Belfast is one of the coldest places in South Africa. The grassveld district is known for cattle, dairy and sheep farming. The wattle and bluegum plantations are the oldest in Mpumalanga.The town also boasts a tulip nursery that attracts large numbers of visitors in spring. Coal, black granite, fire clay and kaolin are mined. Large deposits of chrome and iron are found in the area.Many rivers and streams rise on this watershed. They are clear and cold and are renowned for their excellent trout  fishing conditions.

A large number of first class venues in and surround Belfast cater for accommodation, and fly fishing of which Treeferns Trout Lodge is proud to be one.

Sight-seeing and activities include:
Berg en Dal Monument
Anglo Boer war monument
Hiking Trails
Trout Fishing