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The
area known to visitors as Upper Dargle, situated in the shadow of the dominant
Inhlosane Mountain in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, is as rich in settler history
as it is in natural beauty.
It was here, in 1847, that the Irish settler Thomas Fannin bought the farm
Buffels Bosch. He immediately renamed it The Dargle, on account of its
resemblance to the country of the Dargle stream, south of Dublin.
It was a few years later that the same Thomas Fannin brought more than just a
touch of Irish mist to the area. In April 1854, with rumours of discoveries of
gold in the Cape, Transvaal and Free State making the population particularly
excited, he claimed to have struck both coal and gold on The Dargle - a claim
even the most optimistic prospector took with a pinch of salt.
Most of the early settler farmers in the area established either saw mills or
saw pits, supplementing this activity with the breeding of cattle, sheep and
horses. Local archives abound in tales of the locals teaming up to retrieve
stolen livestock from raiding Bushmen - and there are many stories of bravery,
courage and The hardships endured by the settlers in those early years.
The early settlers were as much attracted by the charm and beauty of the area as
the present day farmers - for most properties boast tumbling streams, cascading
waterfalls and abundant wild life.
The
reconstitution of favourite water haunts as well as the construction of dams has
reintroduced both Brown and Rainbow trout to the area -making it a fly-fishing
paradise.
The hospitality industry in the Upper Dargle area can he traced back to paying
guests at Mount Park in the 1930s.
Today the area has a rich tradition of hospitality and there is a wide and
varied range of accommodation to suit every getaway preference.
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