Krugerhof at Waterval Onder

Krugerhof was the last residence of President Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger in the South African Republic (ZAR).

Kruger was born in 1825 in the Cape Colony. He took part in the Great Trek, 1836 - 1838, and became Commandant General of the ZAR in 1862. He was elected to his first term as President in 1883 and served four consecutive terms, until 1900, when he left South Africa. He died, in self-imposed exile, in Switzerland on 14 July 1904 and was buried in Pretoria on 16 December 1904.

The NZASM Railway Tunnel
Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg - Maatschappij (NZASM) Tunnel between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder

One of President Kruger's greatest ideals was for the land-locked ZAR to have a free passage to the sea, without having to pass through British territory. The railway line between Pretoria and Delagoa Bay was opened in 1895.

The NZASM tunnel, today a national monument, is 400m long and was completed in 1883. It was internationally considered to be a magnificent feat of engineering for the time. Because of the 208 metre rise along the 7 kilometres between Waterval Boven and Waterval Onder, it was decided to cut a tunnel through the Elandsberg and employ just over 3 km of rack railway to the Riggenbach system.

The stone with which the tunnel is lined was cut in Italy and merely placed in position here. The rack railway remained in use until 1908 when more sophisticated equipment rendered it obsolete.

The five-arch bridge on the Dwaalheuwel Spruit
Five-Arch Bridge - Waterval Onder

A sturdy five-arch bridge a short distance below the tunnel was declared a a national monument in 1963. It was constructed of dressed stone cut in Italy.

The bridge carried the famous "Eastern Line" or "Oosterlijn" railway track accross the precipitous gorge of the Dwaalheuwel Spruit. It opened to rail traffic on 20 June 1894 and the rack rail ran along the bridge until it was no longer needed.

The bridge was then converted to a road bridge and served as such for many years until the new tunnel was constructed next to the NZASM Tunnel, and the present road was completed.

The Elands River Falls
Elands River Falls - Waterval Onder

The 70m-high Elands River Falls can be seem through the NZASM tunnel. Declared a national monument, the falls lends its name to two towns. Waterval Boven (Dutch for "above the waterfall") and Waterval Onder ("below the waterfall") are situated about 10km apart in the beautiful Elandsberg range where the Highveld escarpment plunges to meet the lowveld.

The waters of the Elands River stream in three separate ribbons over a sheer cliff (offering some of the best rock climbing in the country), splashing onto a tumble of rocky boulders before cascading into a deep, clear pool.

The Lime Kilns at Ngodwana
The historical Lime Kilns at Ngodwana.