I was standing on the crest of the ‘hill of gold’ site of the Blaaubank Historic
Gold Mine admiring the view of the Witwatersberg and Magaliesberg ranges behind and
beyond Magaliesburg when the silence was shattered by the sound of eight excited
young people emerging from two cars. From the called comments between the drivers,
who looked to be about 20 years old, it was clear that they had found the drive up
the rutted dirt road from the station to the mine to be a challenge that they were
excited to have overcome. I wondered how they would have managed that track up the
hillside in an oxcart in 1874, when the gold reef was first discovered there by the
Australian prospector, Henry Lewis.
The youngsters rushed over to reception. With the exception, that is, of a pretty
girl wearing footwear that was entirely inappropriate for a walking tour of the Gold
Mine. She hopped along at the back trying to get grit out of diamante-trimmed sandals
made for show, not walking. The others clearly had no problems in their trainers
and hiking boots, which were better suited for the tour of the original horizontal
mine shaft.
A few minutes later the group emerged from Reception with their tour guide and headed
for the lamp room to collect their battery powered mining helmets. Not for them the
old carbide lamp in the mine museum. The guide led them across the camp site. She
told the group that they could camp there overnight and sleep out like prospectors
in tents next to the mine entrance. Shrieks of horror rose from Sandal Girl when
she realized that there could be snakes, scorpions, spiders or porcupines in the
mine area. She calmed down as the guide explained the format of the walk into the
mine.
Part 2
