The small mining town of Dundee nestles in a valley of the Biggarsberg mountains of KwaZulu Natal South Africa. Dundee was originally a farm owned by Peter Smith, who in 1882 named it after his Scottish hometown. Surrounded by evocatively-titled peaks - Indumeni (Where the thunder rolls), Mpati (Place of good waters) and Talana (Shelf for precious items) rich coal deposits attracted merchants and fortune hunters.
Iin 1899 Smith floated the Dundee Coal Company on the London Stock Exchange, and Dundee soon emerged as a boomtown graced with stately homes and the first theatre north of Port Natal - or Durban. Pioneer traders from the Indian sub-continent settled here during the following decade, when Dundee became the meeting place of seven roads into the hinterland and coast of Africa. It remains a convenient central base for exploration of the Battlefields region of KwaZulu Natal.
Only one of the mines in Dundee is open nowadays, but there is an interesting museum, dedicated entirely to coal. Mining areas are not always the most attractive, but Dundee at least retains a green and pleasant environment.
Dundee has a large number of architecturally noteworthy buildings which are worth viewing -- many of which have been declared National Monuments.
Visit the Dundee Portal [www.dundee.co.za] for more information.
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Dundee
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