History can be fun if you add gin, gold and Cockney Liz
BARBERTON - Owner of Dusty Tracks Off Road Adventures in Barberton, Wynand Engelbrecht, is opening a museum.
It will be a hub that will incorporate various enterprises - all brought together by his love and dedication to the vibrant history of the town. "It is part of an initiative to restore and revive the tourism value and attraction of the town and its unique surrounds," he said.
"Barberton is, from a history perspective, probably one of the richest towns in the country and with it receiving World Heritage status, many geologists and historians suggested that I expand my tours (Dusty Tracks) to include the latter. With the geotrail being such a wonderful entrance into the rock formations and so forth, I got stuck into the history and today a rock is just not a rock or any rock any longer, it has a name and I know them all," said Engelbrecht.
"I also crossed paths with Clive Morrow, owner of the BP Garage in town, and this rekindled my interest in cars and bikes and some of Clive's collection will become part of this museum. But yes, long and the short, this building lends itself to combining a number of businesses into one to bring back the tourism business, which has largely been diverted by the bypass road that was built. This building is part of the Heritage Walk route, and was part of the old market square which played a huge role in days of old when traders pulled up their ox wagons to sell and trade their wares and products."
"Through my tours into the mountains, we have opened routes last used in the 1800s and we found old mines with their retired and rusted equipment and this ignited my love of history. Then of course, people visit the museum - ask questions and I am happy to oblige with all the answers. I have done the work. I know the history and if you don't stop me, I'll bombard you with all the details - some boring and others totally fascinating, like the first two gold stock exchanges in South Africa were established in Barberton. This town hosted the first horse races up near Eureka City. We have the one of the oldest golf courses in South Africa." Wynand continued, "Until late into the '70s, the people of Nelspruit drove to Barberton to do their shopping. Farming, tobacco, cotton and vegetables, was an integral part of the economic community but alas, it is no more. Mining became the prominent economic activity, but this has also declined significantly over the years. Being part of the local heritage group, allows one access and permission to explore the local history and environment like no other."