After a very long stretch of driving through Natal (the only province where we did not sleepover), we had a shorter trip into the Lowveld of Mpumalanga. From Badplaas we headed for the mountains bordering Swaziland. We passed through some rural areas and then left civilization behind completely.
This must have been one of my favourite drives. The views were spectacular and the scenery absolutely gorgeous. The fact that we were the only people around made it even more fantastic.
We crossed the Komati River before it started it's decent into Swaziland and Mozambique.
The only traffic we came across on this beautiful road.
Once we started our decent into the Lowveld the vegetation changed from bushveld into Pine and Bluegum plantations. The Lowveld is one of the major forestry areas of South Africa. We passed quite a few logging sites and even more trucks loaded with logs on their way to the saw mills.
The mountains we just crossed are considered to be the oldest in the world and scientists date it back 3.5 billion years. It contains some of the oldest exposed rock on the planet.
At the bottom of the mountain pass we came to the beautiful town of Barberton. It originated in 1881 when gold was discovered in the area.
With the gold rush came lots of trade and transport riders. One of these were James Percy Fitzpatrick, who along with his faithful and fearless dog, Jock, had many adventures travelling across the Bushveld.
A statue of Jock can now be seen in front of the Town Hall in Barberton,
where you will also find my next flower.
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