This is South Africa’s own lakes district.  There are various bird hides along the lakes system that you can, well, hide in, to watch some bird life along the lakes.  Find Gullilule and Malachite Bird hides for some splendid bird activity along the lakes. The chances are good that you will be the only person in the hide.  By far one of the best kept secrets still in the Garden Route!

Stop at Dolphin’s Point and enjoy the view both ways.  First look to the East and enjoy the unspoiled beaches of, well Wilderness, and then look to the West and you will notice the icon bridge over the Kaaimans river mouth.  I wonder how many pictures were taken at this spot in the past and how many more will be taken in the future.

While at Dolphin’s Point remember to look out for migrating whales between June and November.  Although you might have seen them before it is always a special sight for me.

If you are in love with forests, then you need to take the route along the famous Seven Passes roads. And while you are on the Seven Passes road stop more or less halfway at a quant little eatery with the name of Totties near Rheenendal.  They serve generous helpings, but do not be in a hurry as good food requires time to prepare.  This is a bit further afield than Wilderness, but worth a visit.

The gravel roads around the lakes and even the Seven Passes road is excellent for some mountain biking.  Take note that there are some steep climbs on some section, but there need to be some challenges for the trained riders as well.    This is also a tick box route for many motor cyclists so keep an eye open for them as there are many blind curves and rises. The clip inserted below gives a sneak preview on the Seven Passes. 

Ride the Seven Passes

There are several big trees in the vicinity.  The Woodville Big Tree is worth a visit and a nice place to have a leisurely picnic.

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So here is the story.

Back in 1886 Millwood was a bustling gold mining town patched together by the dreams, greed and hope for riches that comes with gold digging.  The rumour of gold was enough to draw people from wide and afar.  Yet, after no substantial gold-bearing reefs were found Millwood was reduced to a ghost town amongst the ferns.  Today the only buildings that are left of this once booming time is Moterolli’s coffee shop and the Pitt Street Cottage with its yellowwood floors and ceiling next to it that offers accommodation.

Sipping a coffee at Moterolli

The gold rush started when Ruigtevlei farmer, James Hooper, found a small gold nugget in the tributary of the Karatara River.  Soon the word spread and the scene was set.   Promising traces of alluvial gold were found in the creeks of the Millwood forest.  This was enough to lure prospectors from around the globe unfazed by the fact that the Cape Government did not want to approve any prospecting, because productivity had not been properly assessed.

From a bygone era

Nevertheless by 1885 almost 2 000 claims had been pegged and soon tents were replaced by corrugated structures.  A banking agent, six hotels, post office, shops, a music hall and several boarding houses sprang up.  And eventually in 1887 the government had no choice but to officially declare Millwood a goldfield since about 40 mining syndicates were active in the area.

The relics of Bendigo Mine

But the promised massive reef strikes never materialized and Millwood turned into a ghost town almost overnight.  Mining companies became bankrupt and miners left to find their luck somewhere else.  The goldfield was finally deproclaimed in 1924.

Old mining equipment

While sipping at my coffee on the stoep of Materolli it is hard to imagine that this was once a bustling mining town.   Slowly but surely mother nature is claiming back her stake as rust takes its toll on the equipment and the forest ferns creeps in everywhere …

This is part of the magic of the Knysna forest and why I love my part of the world!

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Through Dalene Matthee’s books, the stories of the Knysna forest took on a new life.  We followed Saul Barnard and Old Foot on the forest footpaths in Circles in a Forest.  We got to know the people of the forest in Fiela’s Child and the Mulberry Forest.  And we got a glimpse of the magic of the forest through Karoliena Kapp in Dream Forest.

 En excerpt from :  www.dalenematthee.co.za

It was a weekend filled with the happy chirping of birds in the morning when the sun rises, the humming of bees, getting into bed at night when a thousand frogs chatter non-stop in the pond, lazing in the hammock with a book and a glass of wine and walking among ancient trees in the forest.  Peace and quiet for the soul.

The Circles in the Forest Walk at Krisjan-se-Nek took us through thick fern filled valleys and over bumbling brooks with ice cold but crystal clear mountain water.

Along the walk we admired the awesomeness of some 800 year old Yellowwood trees and tried to identify some of the Iron wood, Candal wood and various other indigenous trees while traversing the forest.  I must say the information boards along the walk is a great help to the uninformed like myself.

Looking closely, hidden amongst leaves and fallen branches a magical world of fungi are revealed displaying an array of different colours ranging from bright orange to mossy greens and muddy browns.

And then …. a red feather!   Although we were not lucky enough to spot the elusive Knysna Loerie, with its brilliant red and green wings, in the tree tops I was lucky enough to stumble across a dropped red feather on the forest floor.  Magic!

ooOOoo

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