View source for Mac-Mac

{{Short description|Historical area in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa}}
'''Mac-Mac''' is a historical area in the [[Mpumalanga]] province of [[South Africa]], and the site of the country's earliest [[gold rush]]. It is located near the town of [[Sabie, Mpumalanga|Sabie]], 5 km from [[Pilgrim's Rest, Mpumalanga|Pilgrim's Rest]].<ref name=bgft>{{cite web|title=The Echo Caves|url=http://burgersfort.com/pilgrims.htm|publisher=Burgersfort.com|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>
While a number of small gold deposits had been discovered in the northern parts of South Africa between 1840 and 1870, Mac-Mac was the first place where payable quantities of gold were found.<ref name=bgft/> In 1873 gold was discovered on the farm Geelhoutboom. President [[Thomas François Burgers|Burgers]] officially named the area the ''New Caledonian Gold Fields'',<ref name=bgft/> but it became known as ''Mac-Mac'' because of the amount of Scottish diggers at the camp.<ref name=mmgpc>{{cite web|title=Mac Mac Gold Panning Club|url=http://www.macmacgoldpanning.com/|publisher=Mac Mac Gold Panning Club|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref> Within one year, 1,500 diggers made 4,000 claims.<ref name=ustoday>{{cite web|title=Gold Panning in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/gold-panning-pietermaritzburg-south-africa-103314.html|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>
The nearby [[Mac-Mac Falls|Mac Mac twin falls]], originally a single stream, acquired their current appearance when gold miners blasted the stream to reach the gold-bearing reef over which it drops.<ref name=savv>{{cite web|title=Mac Mac Falls, Mpumalanga|url=http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsmpl/mac-mac-falls.htm|publisher=SA-Venues|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref>
In the late 1990s the old forestry station and forester houses were used to start the Mac Mac Forest Retreat.<ref name=mmgpc/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{coord|-24.991|30.813|display=title}}
[[Category:History of Mpumalanga]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Mpumalanga]]