Connect with heritage at the Koppies
Visitors saw the 500-year-old restored furnace and learnt about extracting iron.
Many people visit Melville Koppies, keen to find out why it is a heritage site.
One group booked a special tour where experienced guides, Wendy and David Carsten, took them on a three-hour tour.
Visitors saw the 500-year-old restored furnace and learnt about the complex, time-consuming process of extracting iron to make hoes, spears and knives from iron-bearing rock.
“We learnt way more than we expected,” said one of the participants after the tour.
Melville Koppies is open every Sunday from 08:00 to 11:30.
Book your guided tour (phone 079 532 0083) for your group. If you’re on your own be there by 08.30 to join a tour.
There are other options – challenge yourself to the five-kilometre hike, self-guide yourselves on the heritage trail or meander along the many different paths that criss-cross the Koppies.
It’s spring now, so you can also see the spring flowers blooming on some parts of the Koppies.
What you need to know
– Cost is adults R80, children R40 and a season ticket for a year per adult is R500 (not transferable).
– Security on the Koppies is provided.
– Park in secure parking opposite the entrance at Marks Park in Judith Road, Emmarentia.
– Contact wendavid@mweb.co.za or call 079 532 0083 to find out more.
– Check out www.mk.org.za for more detailed information about the history and what you can see or go to the Melville Koppies Facebook page.
– All income generated is used for maintenance of the Koppies.
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