Bourke’s Luck Potholes

The Bourke’s Luck Pothole’s stop on the Panorama Route was named after Tom Bourke, a gold digger who had a claim for prospecting gold nearby. Although he never found any gold on his claim, he was correct in predicting that gold would be found in the region.

The potholes in the bedrock at the confluence of the Treur and Blyde rivers were caused over millions of years by the eroding power of the two fast flowing rivers.

During the middle of the 1800’s a party of Voortrekkers were in search of a harbour for their new Republic. At a stage they encamped on the banks of a river and left the women and children there. They sent a party of men on horseback to seek a harbour on the current Mozambican coast. When after a long absence the men did not return, the woman assumed that they had perished and broke up camp to leave. They named this river the River of Sorrow (Treur Rivier). The next evening they set up camp at another river and to their great surprise the men previously assumed to be lost, arrived at the camp. To mark the turn of events they named this the River of Joy (Blyde Rivier). As mentioned these two rivers join at the Potholes.