Paradise Valley Nature Reserve
Durban’s first waterworks, an old seadog called Francis Drake, a grumpy hippopotamus, a waterfall, and a flood.
Where else could we be but Paradise Valley?
Paradise Valley Nature Reserve is surely one of the most visited in the world, with tens of thousands of people passing through it each day. The problem is that most of them whoosh by on the Paradise Valley Viaduct at an altitude of 50 metres without having the faintest idea that far below them lies a tranquil reserve. There’s a waterfall, lots of flora and fauna to ooh and ah over, as well as a fair chunk of local history, with about 80 mysterious burial mounds, and the ruins of Durban’s first waterworks, dating to July 1887.
Back in 1850, a large portion of the current reserve fell within the boundaries of a farm owned by Francis Drake, son of Commodore Drake R.N. and an alleged distant relative of the famous Sir Francis Drake. That year, the last lion to be shot in the Pinetown area was taken by another famous local resident, W.C. Field, on Drake’s farm. Durban in those days relied on spring water and wells for its water supply, but as the town grew it became necessary to build a waterworks. The municipality decided to construct a dam on the Umbilo River, and in 1884 bought 19 hectare of land just upstream of the Umbilo waterfall. A 159 megalitre storage dam with an adjoining 27 megalitre settling dam were completed in July 1887, with 177cm pipes conveying water 12 km to the Umbilo waterworks. Materials for the job were delivered to Pinetown Bridge station (later known as Sarnia station) in Stapleton road. The remaining three kilometres was covered by ox-wagon along a gravel road specially built for the project.
The building of the dam did wonders for Pinetown (population 300) in the late 19th Century. Durbanites would catch the train to Pinetown Bridge and then walk down to “The Waterworks” for a day’s picnicking, boating, fishing, and hiking. Then, in 1905, came the flood that put an end to Durban’s Umbilo dam. In just 15 hours 397mm of rain fell, and logs, bamboo and other debris blocked the river at Pinetown Bridge. The railway bridge – you can still see its remains in Stapleton Road near the block factory – eventually gave way and the torrent rushed on to the storage dam, which gave way and unleashed 150 megalitres of water. The ensuing tidal wave killed hundreds of people and destroyed countless homes on the lower Umbilo riverbanks. By then, Durban had alternative water supplies so the dam was never rebuilt and the place was more-or-less forgotten.
Pinetown became a borough in 1948, and the resulting increase in property rates caused an enormous outcry – nothing much has changed in the last 60 years. In 1952 the new national road, the M13, created the possibility of providing road access to Paradise valley, and interest in the valley once again heightened. Lengthy tussles between Durban and Pinetown ensued – the saga’s much too complicated to go into here – but today it’s a registered nature reserve owned by Ethekwini municipality. About two years ago the reserve grew from 25 to 170 hectare, now encompassing land well down the Umbilo valley past the Pinetown sewage works
The reserve is today home to all sorts of game – bushbuck, blue duiker, water mongoose, slender mongoose, and numerous bats all dwell there. At one stage it was also visited by a very famous hippopotamus. In 1928 a hippo who later became known as Huberta took it into her head to go walkabout, and set off from St Lucia to explore the country to the south of her home territory. On November 1928 she was seen at Stanger, and four months later she arrived in Durban North. Her journey captured the imagination of people around the country, who followed her progress with great interest. On 16 March ’29 she was reported as having arrived at the Umbilo Waterworks, so a Constable Butler and Sergeant Day set off to investigate. The cops managed to take three photographs before Huberta took umbrage and charged them. From the sanctuary of the trees they’d climbed in panic, the two policemen watched Huberta trample Sergeant Day’s police hat into the dust. They were not alone in the lofty viewpoints – the surrounding trees were crowded with Zulu spectators who’d also been forced to seek refuge. In Hazel England’s “History of Paradise Valley,” the curator of the Pinetown Museum tells of a group of locals that included a Mr Denis Charlton, who obviously didn’t know much about hippo. This gentleman poked Huberta with a stick to get her attention, and she responded by chasing them all up a hill, fortunately without injury. Leslie Carter of Westville was less fortunate – the angry critter bit him in the leg, resulting in him being hospitalised. The local community was outraged, and Huberta was placed under police protection until she set off southwards once more, only to be shot at the Keiskama River.
Paradise Valley is today a lovely reserve, criss-crossed with trails for those who feel like a picnic and a walk on the wild(ish) side. To get there from Pinetown, travel down Stapleton Road towards Sarnia. Cross under the railway bridge and turn left into Eden Road. Follow the road until the end, where the road turns to the right and into the parking lot.
We express our thanks to Gavin Foster for this interesting article. Gavin wishes to express his gratitude to Hazel England of Pinetown Museum and Terry Stewart of Paradise Valley Nature Reserve.