Top 10 Remarquable Facts About Bourke’s Luck Potholes

Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Photo by Claudirene – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Remarquable Facts About Bourke’s Luck Potholes

At the confluence of the Blyde River and the Treur River in the South African region of Mpumulanga, thousands of years of water erosion have created a unique and otherworldly geological feature.

Here at the mouth of the Blyde River Canyon, the two rivers formed swirling eddies of water. Over time, this formed huge cylindrical potholes in the sandstone bedrock.

1.  The different soil levels in each hole of the Bourke’s Luck Potholes give them each a unique color

Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Photo by Claudirene – Wikimedia Commons

 The effect, seen from the crags above, is now a fascinating network of tunnels and tubes and interconnected whirling pools. The different soil levels in each hole give them a unique color and make for a striking and colorful landscape.

2. The formations get their name from a prospector, John Bourke

Blyde Rivier Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Sustained kolks in the Treur River’s plunge pools have eroded a number of cylindrical potholes or giant kettles, which can be viewed from the crags above. It was named after a local prospector, Tom Bourke. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons 

The formations get their name from a prospector, John Bourke, who was one of the first to proclaim that the region had gold deposits and who staked a claim nearby. Despite the name of the potholes, he never found a single ounce of gold there — though luckier prospectors would later find rich amounts of gold in the area.

3. The potholes are located in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve

Sustained kolks in the Treur River’s plunge pools have eroded a number of cylindrical potholes or giant kettles, which can be viewed from the crags above. It was named after a local prospector, Tom Bourke. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

 Even if he walked away empty-handed, his name lives on in the stunning scenery. The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve in which the potholes are located has bridges and viewing platforms that allow visitors to see the interesting rock features from a variety of angles.

4. Bourke’s Luck Potholes are a natural water feature

Sustained kolks in the Treur River’s plunge pools have eroded a number of cylindrical potholes or giant kettles, which can be viewed from the crags above. It was named after a local prospector, Tom Bourke. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

 There is also a small but interesting geological museum and short walking trails. Bourke’s Luck Potholes are a natural water feature found within the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, about 35km north of Graskop on the R532 road.

5. The potholes are located at the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon

Sustained kolks in the Treur River’s plunge pools have eroded a number of cylindrical potholes or giant kettles, which can be viewed from the crags above. It was named after a local prospector, Tom Bourke. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

 Located at the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon, these cylindrical potholes on the bedrock have been carved over thousands of years by sand and pebbles swirling around in whirlpools when the Treur River plunges into the Blyde River.

6. The hollows in the potholes grew over time and deepened into cylindrical potholes

Sustained kolks in the Treur River’s plunge pools have eroded a number of cylindrical potholes or giant’s kettles, which can be viewed from the crags above. It was named after a local prospector, Tom Bourke. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

Initially, water-borne pebbles carved out small depressions, which soon trapped river debris further accelerating erosion. The hollows grew over time and deepened to cylindrical potholes up to several meters deep.

7. The potholes were named after an unsuccessful gold prospector named Tom Bourke

Blyde Rivier Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

The potholes were named after an unsuccessful gold prospector named Tom Bourke who discovered signs of alluvial gold in the canyon in the late 1880s. He quickly staked a claim and began to pan for gold.

8. Bourke never stuck gold, although hundreds of others found riches

Blyde Rivier Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

 Unfortunately for him, Bourke never stuck gold, although hundreds of others found riches just south of where he predicted the presence of the precious metal. Bourke’s gold mine proved to be completely fruitless but his legacy lives on at Bourke’s Luck Potholes.

9. Some tourists treat Bourke’s Luck Potholes as a “wishing well”

Sustained kolks in the Treur River’s plunge pools have eroded a number of cylindrical potholes or giant kettles, which can be viewed from the crags above. It was named after a local prospector, Tom Bourke. Photo by Ad Meskens – Wikimedia Commons

 Ironically, some tourists treat Bourke’s Luck Potholes as a “wishing well” and many have dropped coins into the potholes.

A small visitors center is located nearby that provides information about the canyon’s origins and flora and fauna in the area. From there, the viewing point for these potholes is 700 meters away.

Bourke’s Luck Potholes are without a doubt a major icon, but when thrown in together with the likes of the Three Rondawels, God’s Window and the Blyde River Canyon, and numerous magnificent waterfalls, one can become immune after a while.

If you can, begin your wander around Mpumalanga with Bourke’s Luck Potholes, for they are without doubt incredible. Essentially they’re the result of decades of swirling eddies of water where the Treur River meets the Blyde River, the tumult of which has caused extensive water erosion over time.

The result is a series of cylindrical rock sculptures that look as though they would be more comfortable on the moon.

To see these geological wonders (it is no surprise to learn that they’ve made it onto Frommer’s 500 places to take your kids before they grow up) that are an amazing array of white, yellow, and dark brown eddies of color because of the soil present in the water, you’ll need to travel roughly 35 kilometers due north of Graskop on the R532.

They are on the Panorama Route and are one of the major tourist attractions in South Africa, so best get there ahead of the bus tours. A series of metal bridges take you right above them if photographs are a high priority, whilst walkways around the ridges allow you various angles and viewpoints from which to take your snaps.

Their strange name, in case you were wondering, comes from the gold digger, Tom Burke, who staked a nearby claim.

10. Bourke’s Luck Potholes are named after Tom Bourke

Potholes at Bourke’s Luck, near Graskop, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Photo by ErwinMeier – Wikimedia Commons

Named after Tom Bourke, an unsuccessful gold prospector working in the area, this natural attraction comprises a series of interconnected cylindrical pools divided by sandstone outcrops.

Viewing platforms and bridges cross above some of the best formations, and depending on the time of day, river levels, and mineral content in the water, the view of the holes and multi-colored sandstone changes.