Day 21 - Golden Gate to Pretoria

Date: 2025/04/27
Departure From: Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Departure Time: 07h40

Destination Name: Pretoria
Arrival Time: 14h52
Total Travel time: 7:12 hours

Weather:
Clear blue skies
Departure Temperature: 8C
Peak Temperature: 24C

Odometer Reading (km):
Start: 243 771
End: 244 189
Total Distance: 418

Passes:

Lichens Pass [Tar]

Trip Summary:

I was not in a rush to get going as todays drive was not that far. I would love to spend more time in the National Park during the quiet season and do more hiking trails.

It was very cold and I struggled to start the Defender. Normally my Defender starts on the first key turn regardless of temperature. The Fuel Pump was whining worse than before and now I was convinced that the Fuel Pump filter might be blocked which meant I may not make it home. I could not resolve this now and this is an adventure trip so I decided to push through to home.

I headed East along the R712 towards Harrismith. The first 23km was through the eastern section of the Golden Gate National Park (GGNP). I have driven through this section many times and this was the first time that I saw Red Hartebees, Zebra and Oribi. I turned North onto a gravel road at the Sterkfontein Dam near Mount Paul. The road was not in a good condition all the way to the R714.

I turned East on the R714 and after 6km took a gravel road North with the idea of joining the S589. I drove over a steel bridge on the Wilge river and the river was in flood. I got to the Holspruit river and hit a roadblock. The concrete bridge had been washed away by the recent floods. From the watermarks on the fencing, the flooding level must have been at least 2m above the bridge. I waded into the river through a make-shift road to check the depth. I was barely quarter way in and already up to my knees so I decided to backtrack and take an alternative route that crossed the Holspruit river further upstream.

Bridge across the flooded Wilge River

Bridge across the Holspruit River

Farm Road through the Orange Free State

I stopped at the deli and bakery at Thanda Tau, on the N3, for breakfast.

This stop was also a test to see if the Defender would restart as this would indicate how badly the Fuel Pump filter was blocked. If it does not restart, this is a good place to sleep over while I arrange a recovery.

Luckily the Defender restarted on the 2nd attempt so I decided to push on home. As I entered Johannesburg the Defender struggled on the uphills and got progressively worse as I headed through Midrand. I turned off the N14 and had to gear down to slow down and turned East to cross the bridge. As I crossed the bridge, the Defender came to a standstill, 2.4km from home - Luckily I could pull over to the left. My friend and neighbour helped me by towing my vehicle to my home.

During the next few days of my return, I removed the fuel pump and checked the internal filters ..... they were blocked. I checked the fuel in the tank and there was a brown sludge in the bottom. I emptied the tank and cleaned it and installed a new fuel pump .... problem fixed.

Blocked Fuel Pump Filter

Bad Fuel in the Fuel Tank

Accommodation: [Home]

North, South, East, West ....... home is always best!

The Route:

Places travelled:

Villiers
Heidelberg
Johannesburg
Midrand

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