Mooi River

Mooi River means Beautiful River in Afrikaans

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

Mooi River (Afrikaans: Mooirivier) lies on the N3 and rail routes between Johannesburg and Durban, about 160km from the Indian Ocean. The drakensberg Mountain Range lies about 30Km to the west of Mooiriver.

is a small town situated at 1,389m above sea level and 160km inland from the coast in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It

Trout fishing can be done in the rivers in the district.Watersport such as boating, canoeing, tubing can be done on the Mooi River. There are 11 rapids. The Mooi River Valley offers splendid farm holidays.

Mooi River Fall

The Mooi River Fall (80m high, 50m wide) is 24Km from town.

Craigie Burn Nature Reserve

The Craigie Burn Nature Reserve is on the R622 Greytown.

History

The first European settlement in the area was in 1852 at the drift in the river, the Mooi River Drift. In 1866 the location was formally named Weston after the first Governor of Natal, Martin West.

In 1879, an Irishman named Alexander Lawrence purchased the farm "Grantleigh" upstream from Weston, on the banks of the Mooi River.

In 1884, the railway line from Durban to Johannesburg reached the area and was built across the Grantleigh farm of Alexander Lawrence. He subsequently laid out and establish a village on his farm, called Lawrenceville. In 1921, the village was renamed Mooi River when it was declared a town. Lawrence is known as "The Father of Mooi River".

Economy

Farming: Breeding of stock and race horses.

Acknowledgement: Barry Lawrence supplied some of the information, especially on the history of Mooiriver.

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