The gorgeous Bourke's Luck
Potholes are a true natural water feature located within the Mpumalanga
province of South Africa, approximately 35 kilometers north of Graskop on the
R532 road. It is found at the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon, these
cylindrical potholes on the bedrock have been carved more than thousands of
years ago with sand and pebbles swirling around in whirlpools at what time the
Treur River plunges into the Blyde River. Originally, water borne pebbles
carved out minor depressions, which soon trapped river debris additional
accelerating erosion. Therefore hollows grew with the passage of time and got
deepened to cylindrical potholes up to quite a lot of meters deep.
The potholes were titled after an
ineffective gold prospector called Tom Bourke who revealed signs of alluvial
gold in the canyon in the late 1880s. He swiftly staked a claim and originated
to pan for gold. Unluckily for him, Bourke never stuck gold, though hundreds of
others found riches just south of where he projected the presence of the
precious metal. Bourke’s gold mine proved to be totally unproductive but his
splendid legacy lives on at Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Unluckily, certain tourists
treat Bourke's Luck Potholes as a “wishing well” and several have dropped coins
into the potholes. A small visitor’s center is found close that offers
information about the canyon’s origins and the flora and fauna found in the
area. From there, the viewing point for these potholes is 700 meters away.
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