The town of Sabie orginated in 1900 by gold diggers in search of fame and fortune. At the beginning and middle of the 19th century Sabie area was a hunter’s paradise and considered a camping site for hunting parties. 1871 gold was discovered when a stray bullet chipped a rock revealing indications of gold. This resulted in the forming of Glynn’s Lydenburg Gold Mining Co. which closed in July 1950 when gold was no longer a viable source of income. The first Burger Gold coin issued by ZA Republic were minted from gold mined in Sabie.

Voortrekkers reached the Sabie area 1846 and called it Grootfontein as the region boasts numerous springs, fountains, rock pools and waterfalls. Later diggers and fortune hunters streamed to the area and camped on the banks of the Sabie River. The river was feared for its strong currents and crocodiles. Hence it was named “ULUSABA” (river of fear) which Sabie was later named after.

In 1876 Joseph Brook Shires had already started planting the first commercial eucalyptus trees when he realised that the forests were chopped down to meet the needs of the mines, housing and firewood. Forestry followed suit in 1904 and today Sabie is surrounded by the largest manmade forestry area in the world.

When in 1896 two sturdy homes were built on Grootfontein it could no longer be considered a camping site and acquired the status of residential area. Later on, on 1 January 1916 Sabie was officially declared a town.