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From my 9 or so visits to the area it appears to be at the point where the trails camp is now situated .
I recall being shown poles that the trails ranger said was the remains of the lapa at Gorge , but that was defenitely further downstream , where the access road to the trails camp from Bangu waterhole turns westwards towards the trails camp .
Perhaps these said poles were "urban legend" , and had been washed downstream by floods ... ?
Will ask GML Smit's opinion .

@ Ndloti. I went there a few time as a kid and remember asking at Olifants camp what had happened to the old picnic site and being told it was now used for the trails, so I'm sure you are correct. I also remember a road in poor condition and the area being dry on occasions. I loved the gorge as the view was awesome

Pat , this is the vertical view of the trails camp , you wouldn't perhaps recall if there were rocky areas in midstream visible below the picnic site , as seen here ?

Thank you Chip! I doubt that even SANParks will have this map in their archives.
On closer inspection -
*Phalaborwa did not even exist then.
*Leydsdorp features very prominantly in the map. The Leydsorp hotel must have been popular in those days as a pit stop, not to mention the bar in the baobab tree
*Dutch spelling for Potgietersrus(t).
*Pigrimsrest more prominent than Graskop.
Very interesting map and I am sure worth much more today than the 25c in the 1940's

Hi Bennievis, I actually showed William Mabasa and Dr. Mkize the map a few years ago and William made a photo copy of it as, I think he said, a fire had destroyed old records of theirs some time in the past.
Glad you enjoyed it.

This is the stretch of road you're refering to Bennievis:



... and it looks quite possible... it links up with the S131 a couple of kms before the Ngwenyeni windmill... but if you look at the "gate" itself, I can't see any remains of a camp or gate or any other type of structure....



What was the gate like in those days? Were the structures destroyd or did the boundaries of Kruger change (not in this area that I'm aware of)

Muchly ta for the pix, Nungu!

The ancient memory I'm drawing on is that at least some of the buildings were held together by the termites holding hands. Guess they'd have gotten tired eventually but it wouldn't take much to remove a wood-and-iron structure without trace.

Hi Nungu,

Thank you for the images! Yes one can clearly see the road. The gate area almost looks as if it could be a landing strip of sorts.

Notice also the huge area to the north and east of the Shangoni Area which has been removed from Kruger.

MV

Had an interesting talk with someone who grew up in Shingwedzi and is now already retired after working 40 plus years for KNP.

He spoke about Malopene gate as their main gate.

It is indeed on the road indicated above.

It was only a gate, with no camp attached.

It was closed and replaced by Phalaborwa gate, after Phalaborwa town started, due to the huge and still functioning mine at Phalaborwa.

No Imberbe, you have got it wrong.

Malopene was a gate camp. I went through that gate on a few occasions when booked in at Letaba and saw the small camp.

On my map I posted on the previous page, you can see Malopene camp and if you scroll down to the end, it describes Malopene camp as having 15 beds and you could purchase petrol & oil there.

In 'A Dictionary of Kruger National Park Place Names' by J J Kloppers & Hans Bornman, Malopeni, as it is now spelt, was described as "Entrance gate, small rest camp (no longer in use) and borehole, 11km north of Phalaborwa"

You are quite correct Chip. Maybe the fact that it was a small place and given the time lapse, might have confused things a bit.

Got some great information from Mr. Joep Stevens of SANParks on Malopene.

Malopene was a gate camp with only six units. It, along with camps such as Rabelais and Balule (then known as Olifants river) was erected because long traveling distances made it difficult for guests to reach the main camps. The closest town was Gravelotte and camp was Shingwedzi. It was active between the late 1920's and 1960 when Phalaborwa gate was opened.

Gate:



Huts:

Imberbe,

Thanks a million for posting the photos. My dad was a surveyor in that area in the mid 50's (and after), and he often spoke about the "old Malopene road" which was the road between Gravelotte (where I was caught speeding the other day - have they no respect) and KNP. The name "Malopene" will always bring memories to me, although I can not remember the gate and camp at all.
He collected a lot of clay pots, beads and other art works from previous civilizations that he stumbled upon during his daily activities, which he later donated to musuems.
He carried a rifle with him at all times in those days and he prouded himself in the fact that he could have, but never ever used it.

What a great thread! Thank you all. That map is amazing! I wonder how many other mites have invaluable information on forgotten parts of the park's history? Or old photo's that could have real historical significance now?

Bennievis, I stayed in Phalaborwa in the sixties so really enjoyed reading about your father's memories. I never even heard of that road from Leydsdorp. Good for him that he never used his gun!