Rosetta

Rosetta is a hamlet rather than a town, strung along the Mooi River between Nottingham Road and Mooi River on the R103 in the uMgungundlovu District. The Rosetta Farm was granted by the crown in 1861, and local farmers gave the settlement its name because the Mooi River in flood reminded them of the Rosetta branch of the Nile where the river divides north of Cairo. The Meshlyn Bridge was built in 1895, and a year later the hotel went up, which is still standing. For most of the 20th century it remained a quiet farming village.

The Aardmore Pottery Studio put Rosetta on a different kind of map. The studio produces ceramic work of unusual quality, drawing on local Zulu artistic traditions to create pieces that collectors around the world seek out. It's become the cultural anchor of the village and worth a visit in its own right, not just as a craft stop but as a genuine art destination.

The countryside here is among the most dramatic in the Midlands. The Drakensberg is visible on clear days, and the Kamberg Nature Reserve, which holds important San rock art, is reachable along the Kamberg Road from Rosetta in under an hour. Waterfalls are scattered through the area, and the drive to Giant's Castle from here takes about the same time. The goat's cheese factory on the R103 between Rosetta and Nottingham Road has become something of an institution.

There's also the matter of Elizabeth Klarer, who in 1955 claimed to have been abducted by aliens on a hill outside Rosetta. The story is treated with local affection rather than embarrassment, and the hill in question is part of the landscape everyone still calls alien country.