The old street
Iron houses and timber verandas.
South African Tourism from South Africa — CC BY 2.0 · South African Tourism from South Africa — CC BY 2.0 · Edward Middleton — CC BY-SA 4.0 · South African Tourism from South Africa — CC BY 2.0 · South African Tourism from South Africa — CC BY 2.0
Pilgrim's Rest is a small museum town in Mpumalanga, protected as a provincial heritage site. It was the second of the Transvaal gold fields, and its corrugated-iron houses and timber verandas remain largely as they were, so visitors feel they have stepped into the gold rush era. The prospector Alec Patterson found gold in the stream later known as Pilgrim's Creek, after the nearby MacMac diggings grew too crowded. The area was declared a gold field in September 1873, and its population soon reached 1,500. Work then shifted to deep mines, until mining closed in 1971 and the village was sold to the government to become a museum. You walk along a long quiet street past the old Pilgrim's Hotel, craft shops, cafes, an old garage and a vintage petrol station. Some stores and sheds display objects from the period, including bottles, tools and old cars. Green hills surround the town, which feels peaceful outside tour bus hours. It is 8.5 km in a straight line from Lisbon Falls, but the mountain road is longer, so take a car. Allow two hours for a walk, more if you want to enter the small museums. Morning is usually quieter than midday. If you need halal food, ask before ordering, as it is not assured here.
Iron houses and timber verandas.
A town landmark.
Tools, bottles and cars.
Panorama Route, near Graskop, Mpumalanga
It closed in 1971 and the village went to the state, and some mining has since resumed outside town.
Two hours for a walk, more with the museums.