Wagendrift Nature Reserve

Wagendrift Nature Reserve

Situated on the other side of the N3 from Estcourt, Wagendrift Nature Reserve surrounds the dam of the same name. With a resident yacht club, and popular for boating and fishing, the pretty reserve is 980 hectares of beautiful scenery, quiet, time out and a three kilometre self-guided trail along the Bushman's River.

As its name suggests, Wagendrift Nature Reserve is so called after a drift through the Bushman's River favoured by transport wagons en route to Witwatersrand from Port Natal, where gold fields attracted many people at the time. On Makhabeni Hill, overlooking Moor Park, which is included in the parameters of Wagendrift Nature Reserve, one has a bird's eye view of an Iron Age site dating back to AD 1300, one of the oldest in KwaZulu-Natal, where there are large fossil beds lying exposed, as well as fossilised trees - anyone even vaguely interested in archaeology will find this a hidden treasure.

And if that does not grab your attention, then the bird life most certainly will as you're almost assured of sighting a fish eagle or a black eagle whilst you are here, particularly if fishing for one of the number of fish species commonly caught here, such as bass, carp, bluegill, eel and sometimes trout.

And the historic town of Estcourt too is worth a visit, not only for its access to the World Heritage Site of Ukhahlamba Park, but also for its access to the Weenen Game Reserve, and the Thukela Biosphere - a joint conservation and community initiative. It has an array of historical and cultural attractions from the Anglo-Boer War, various museums and other places of note including the Augustinian Chapel built in 1929 and the first government school, built in 1886 located in Alexandra Street and still used today as a school.