An Abandoned Gold Mine, Knysna South Africa: Millwood Gold Rush Ghost Town

Most people have heard of the gold rush at Pilgrim’s Rest & Barberton in the 1870s and The Witwatersrand in the 1880s - fewer know about the Knysna Gold Rush in 1884. Millwood Gold Mine is near Rheenendal in the mountains around 30 kilometres from the Garden Route town of Knysna.
Millwood has it's origins in 1876, when ostrich farmer James Hooper found a gold nugget in the Karatara riverbed. Hooper took the nugget to Charles F. Osborne, a government engineer who was working on a new road between George and Knysna, Osborne confirmed that it was gold.
Osborne did some prospecting of his own but was transferred away to the west coast, he returned to Knysna in 1885 and continued his search for gold in the remote forests surrounding Knysna. On finding a promising reef in 1886, he, along with Thomas Bain, the famed pass-builder, compiled an unfavourable report and tried to discourage other gold seekers. Others though spread the word and within weeks a village of 135 stands, hotels, boarding houses, general stores, a post office, police barracks and a hospital had been erected, with fortune seekers from as far away as the UK, California and Australia flooding into the area.
The “town” even had it’s own newspapers and a 3 times a week postal service to Kynsna, and by 1888 the goldfields had a population of over 1000 people. The yields were too low to sustain such a population though, and within 5 years most prospectors started drifting away to find richer pickings around the Witwatersrand.
The town was soon completely silent and abandoned. The Bendigo mine, named after the gold bearing Bendigo reef, with it’s equipment and sorting sheds still stands as a silent, abandoned testament to the gold fever that thrived here over 130 years ago.
A mystical aura still seems to lurk here, people were born here, people died here and were buried there in the cemetery. The abandoned gold workings can still be visited, the area falls under SanParks who maintain the roads. In the past there was a museum and a tea room, these have since been closed down, these days it really is abandoned, on my visit I was the only person there.
More Information:
www.knysnamuseums.co.za/pages...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwoo...
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I’m Chris, video creator, and lover of road tripping & the great outdoors. Now exploring the off the beaten track, hidden places of Africa, and sharing the adventure in video, photos and words. Kangela is aimed at those who want to experience gravel road travel and off road adventures, but who don’t care as much about the vehicle that gets them there, as they do about the journey itself and the destination.
I try to provide useful tips and background information about the unusual places that we visit, as well as endeavouring to draw attention to conservation, my intention is always to inform, educate and entertain.
Kangela: "to look at with curious eyes"
Available for collaborations: [e-mail]
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[@AndileMokhathi]

Chris seeing you going into that tunne and running out of batteryl, it got me scared. Thanks for this i have out it on my bucket list

[@robbutler958]

Way back in 1978 my wife and our two boys of 4 & 5 years of age, explored that tunnel right to it's dead-end. Brave little fellows they were, and keen to explore a side-shaft, but as it was on a sharp upward incline and I deemed it too risky. Very few people seem to have any interest about the mines back then. Also, not a soul around. That large black pipe seen in your coverage, was not existent back then, Probably for additional ventilation for the tourist industry in latter years, It was very musty and the air became very 'stale' towards the end of the shaft.We were also pleased to return to the fresh air outside.
Thanks for the video. Brought back happy memories of our visits to Knysna.
We also discovered the ruins (rubble) of an old fort on the hill above the town, just somewhere behind and above the hospital.
It was called somebody's Folly( not sure of the name), as it was built as a defence for Knysna about the time of the boer war, and was considered ' a waste of public money' at the time.

[@Kangela]

Thanks for the interesting insights Rob, and I'm glad the video brought back some memories.

[@pauldarbishire7226]

Great video!
Spent my entire working life underground from age 17 to 68. Always makes me chuckle how it freaks out civilians.
Love that area of SA, so beautiful.
Thanks for all your work putting these vlogs together, they're lekker!

[@Kangela]

I worked on a Gold mine on the west rand back in the early 80's for a while, but this was entirely different! I'm so glad you are enjoying my content.

[@hermankern3939]

Once a miner always a miner....

[@pauldarbishire7226]

@@hermankern3939 So true

[@hermankern3939]

@@pauldarbishire7226 I had a Keith Derbishire working as a Shiftboss with me at Ermelo Mines in the mid-eighties, note different spelling of surname.

[@pauldarbishire7226]

@@hermankern3939 not related sorry to say.
There are several spellings of the surname but with the same spelling as mine we would definitely be related.

[@nomarussia5085]

Thank you for this video. The length was just perfect

[@Kangela]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@siya2563]

We need to go back

[@selwynbeck2356]

Awesome video, liked and subbed, thanks for the upload

[@Kangela]

Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@johnlighton7025]

Nice thank you

[@Kangela]

It's a pleasure John, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@hisvessel6135]

Love your vedios

[@Kangela]

Thank you so much for that 🙏

[@gotravelbug]

The Bendigo Mine company left most of it, I think. They originated from Australia and named it after the town in Australia, hence the Bendigo mine.

[@Kangela]

Thanks for that info Rose 👍

[@siya2563]

When can we go over there.can u share more on to identify gold stones

[@Kangela]

Hi Siya, you can go anytime during the day. As far as gold goes, I don't think you would find much, even back when it was an active mine there wasn't a whole lot found.

[@arnoldkyster8334]

Please make a documentary about the Sub Nigel mine in the east rand...Its existence is too good to be true.

[@Kangela]

Thanks for the suggestion Arnold, I will for sure look into it.

[@gotravelbug]

Haha, the head bump 🤣

[@Kangela]

😅😅😅

[@mabitselamaubane4097]

Beware of Zama Zamas

[@Kangela]

I don’t think there is enough gold left there to make it worth their time 😉

[@hermankern3939]

Sound a wee bit out of breath....

[@Kangela]

True that😅 I was pretty out of shape at that time.