Mooi River Accommodation

Mooi River is a small town in the picturesque KwaZulu Natal Midlands. It is situated 64 kilometres from Pietermaritzburg and 160 kilometres from Durban. It is surrounded by rolling green hills, and in the distance, the Drakensberg Mountains.

The town lies on the banks of the Mooi River, which means 'beautiful river' in Dutch and Afrikaans, and its name is a direct result of its location. However, Mooi River hasn't always been known as such. The town's history is traced back to Alexander Lawrence, who owned a farm on the banks of the river, known as Grantleigh. In 1884 construction of the railway line connecting Durban at the coast, and Johannesburg in the interior, reached the Mooi River area and the line was built over Lawrence's land. As a result of the line he decided to build a train station and develop a small village around it. He named the settlement Lawrenceville.

When it was eventually proclaimed a town in 1921, the town's name was changed to Mooi River.

Today Mooi River is a thriving little town. Up until 2002 it was home to a large textile business, Mooi River Textiles, which accounted for much of the urban economy of the area. These days the area's economy is reliant on tourism, retail entrepreneurship and agriculture.

The main agricultural pursuits involve dairy farming and race-horse breeding. There are a number of well-known stud farms in the area, such as Summerhill, where tours of the facilities can be arranged with prior notice.

Mooi River lies on the scenic Midlands Meander route. This is an arts and crafts route initiated by the locals in the Midlands area to encourage tourism in their neck of the woods. Apart from the artisanal goods on offer, the route is beautiful and very enjoyable because of it.

Other activities in and around Mooi River include walking and hiking, fly-fishing and partaking in numerous water sports, like canoeing and tubing, on the river.

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