Now known as Emgwenya, this town offers a great respite from the city. Considered as a gateway to the Kruger Lowveld region, Emgwenya has a warm and welcoming ambiance. One can explore the many historical sites and delve into the history of the historic Pretoria to Maputo railway line. This not so hidden gem offers great trout fishing waters, hiking, horse-riding, ziplining and is a rock-climbing mecca.

BRIEF HISTORY:

It developed from a railway supply depot established on the farm Doornhoek in 1895 and was administered by the Railways until 1946 when the administration was transferred to a Health Committee. It became a municipality on 1 April 1980. The name, Dutch for ‘above the Waterfall’, refers to the situation of the town above the ZASM falls in the Elands River. The drive down the Elands River Valley to Waterval Onder, 8 km east of Waterval Boven, is extremely attractive and affords a view of the ZASM falls (90 m high), the old ZASM railway tunnel (212 m long) – where the only funicular railway in the Republic was in use at that time – and the five arched bridge, approximately one km east of the tunnel. They have all been proclaimed national monuments.
There is a rock monument on the Waterval Boven railway station platform which is a memorial to the people who succumbed to malaria during the construction of the Eastern Railway line.