BOURKE’S LUCK POTHOLES, SOUTH AFRICA
The Bourke's Luck Potholes are found within the Mpumalanga province of South Africa and are a natural water feature, formed over thousands of years of water erosion. They mark the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world.
The Bourke's Luck Potholes occur at the confluence of the Treur and the Blyde rivers, about 35km north of Graskop on the R532. The potholes were formed by the waterborne sand and pebbles within the Treur river, grinding huge cylindrical potholes as they swept over the bedrock. The colours of the bedrock vary from white to yellow to reddish brown.
The potholes are named for a prospector named Tom Bourke, who discovered signs of alluvial gold in the canyon in the late 1880s. He staked a claim and started panning for gold – to no avail. Other prospectors in the area did however strike it rich. Bourke's Luck Potholes have been referred to as 'nature's wishing well' by some and many a tourist has dropped coins into the well.
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http://www.sabie.co.za/gallery/Bourkes%20Luck%20Potholes.html http://booktravel.travel/index.php?p=bourkes_luck_potholes Image: Rudi von Staden, http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudivs/184931318/