Wagendrift Nature Reserve and Dam, Escourt

Wagendrift Dam and Moor Park Nature Reserve is situated just off the N3 highway, near Estcourt. The Reserve is roughly 980 square Kilometers, in extent and includes a popular picnic and fishing spot. An Iron Age site dating back to AD 1300 is found on Makhabeni Hill overlooking; Moor Park and is listed as the first known Iron-Age Settlement in Southern Africa. On the Southern side of the Dam, there are large fossil beds with many fossilised trees lying exposed at ground level. As its name suggests, Wagendrift Nature Reserve is so called after a Drift through the Bushman's River favoured by transport wagons on 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. Wagendrift Dam is a picturesque dam named after a drift through the Bushman's River used by transport wagons on their to the Witwatersrand goldfields. The Dam is surrounded by the Wagendrift Reserve and is a protected Area! Boating and fishing are the main activities. There is a 3 km self-guided Trail along the Bushman's River. Found here are; Fish Eagle and Black Eagle, which nest in the reserve. Species of fish include bluegill, bass, carp, eel and the occasional trout.