Colonel Steinaker, a German of diminutive size (he was 5' 1'' in his boots), was probably the British army's most irregular commanding officer, but he managed somehow to persuade the Brits to give him command of a force of 300 men to patrol the Lubombo region of the Eastern Lowveld. Steinaker saw himself as the ''Napoleon'' of the lowveld, which role he certainly acted out to the full. Steinaker had many' detractors but let no man feel disgraced for serving in Steinakers Horse for, through Steinaker gathered around him a contingent of mounted hunters, chanters, adventurers and fortune seekers, among them were some of the most accomplished and finest shots in Africa, with scouting and bush skills not easily matched anywhere in the world.

Of Steinaker a story is told where he swaggered into the pub at Komatijoort and drawing both his pistols he fired six shots from each of them into the ceiling. Only two holes were visible in the ceiling above and the crowd gave way in awe at this remarkable marksmanship. Only Colonel Steinaker knew that his six-guns each had one loaded bullet - the remaining five cartridge chambers in each gun were loaded with blanks!

After the Boer War of 1899 - 1902, and after losing his horse to African Horse Sickness, Mickey Reilly, as he had become known, walked into Swaziland from Barberton possessing only the clothes that he was wearing to start a surprisingly successful career as a tin miner. The Reilly fortunes, and these apparently included vast estates in Ireland and tea plantations in India and in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), had been given to the church. For this, and for being the chosen son to take Holy orders at the Vatican instead of a promised Cambridge education, Mickey Reilly never forgave his father; He rebelled, left home and rejected the Catholic Church to his dying day. He taught his children the difference between right and wrong and between good and bad and that was the extent of religion in the Reilly household. He always said his children could choose their own religions when they were old enough!

Mickey Reilly was remarkably resourceful and successful in Swaziland. With entrepreneurial skills, he managed the McCreedy tin mine and purchased land which he faulted. It is this land which fifty years later became Swaziland's first wildlife sanctuary. He managed the McCreedy Tin Mine in Swaziland for Sir Abe Bailey of the Eastern Transvaal Consolidated Mines Ltd. McCreedy himself had wandered off and disappeared. Year’s later McCreedy's signet ring was found in a large crocodile which was shot on the great Usuthu River.

Reilly built his home (a mud hut) on Mlilwane hill in 1908. It was struck and
gutted by lightning. He built his second home, also a mud hut, a little further down the hill. This too was struck and demolished by lightning. ''Mlilwane”, literally translated, means ''little-fire ''; this alludes to lightning strikes that frequently started fires on this hill, so giving rise to its Swazi name.

Reilly built his third home of wood and iron - this time lower down the hill - and, now hopefully, beyond the reach of lightning.

After the First World War in 1914-18, Mickey Reilly was approached by a man named Moolman - an illiterate Afrikaner who couldn't even read the figures on a footrule. Moolman said to Reilly – “You’re going to needing a house; - I need an ox-wagon. You buy me a wagon and I’ll build you a
house.'' The deal was closed. The wagon cost 80 pounds, which was an awful lot of money in those days, and the house took several years to build. Time was of little importance in the early 19th Century but Mickey Reilly didn't make it any easier for Moolman when he insisted that the house be built of stone - and that it be built around his wood and iron shack, which was later dismantled and cleared through the front door when his new home was completed!

Reilly’s Rock had its beginnings from this early “horse deal''. Rocks were fetched from far and wide to build the Reilly home. By sledge, by wagon and by hand-held stretcher, each rock was carried to site where Moolman placed them one upon another using mud as mortar, and so creating the magnificent monument Reilly's Rock has now become. A visiting British Parliamentarian once remarked that the skill and finish of the old stonework resembled some of the old stonework of 14 and 15th century England.

Reilly's Rock Today

There is no doubt that Reilly received more than fair exchange in the solid
stonework and the long verandahs of Reilly’s Rock - a hilltop site which is as great a part of Swaziland history as the remarkable family who, for a century, have called it home, and who brought the concept of Nature Conservation to this tiny African Kingdom, establishing Parks and even restoring 22 different species of larger wild animals to Swaziland after they had gone locally extinct.

Mickey Reilly married Billy Springle in l 924 and brought her to his home of rock, where for years she was the only white woman between Mbabane and Bremersdorp. For half a century, she lived her life here in paradise as the wife of the most popular and most colourful white man in Swaziland.

Mickey Reilly was remarkably versatile. The first electric light to light up the night in Swaziland was installed at Mlilwane with a 52.5 Kva hydro turbine driven generator. Reilly later installed this plant on the Mbabane River, below where the Swazi Inn was later built, to supply Mbabane with lights. He subsequently sold it to Mercer Cox, who then sold it to the Swaziland Government. Mickey Reilly brought electricity to Bremersdorp also, where he created a roaring trade selling single light points to the town and in particular to the families Howe and Stewart whose rivalry caused them to compete with each other so escalating hot only the price of-electricity, but also the number of light points sold!

Mickey Reilly's sojourn here was at a time when there was no shortage of land – no shortage of natural resources and little respect for the environment, which had to be tamed and exploited. A time when Britain ruled and Britain needed raw materials. Tin was an essential resource for war materials and during both World Wars, tin miners were not conscripted - they had to feed the Allied war machine.

Tin was mined with water and Reilly soon developed a remarkable skill in hydrology. He became known as the water wizard of Swaziland and was reputed even able to defy the laws of gravity by making water flow up hill! !

Tin, technically known as cassiterite, occurs in the pegmatities, which are in an advanced stage of decomposition at Mlilwane. The ore-bearing soil is channelled with a flow of water through sluice boxes, which are simply long boxes 24 to 30 inches wide and up to 20 feet long, comprising a base, two sides and an open top. The base is stepped and the ore-bearing soil is passed through the boxes with the help of the flowing of water. The muddy mixture is agitated with gravel forks and spades by a team of men as it passes down the sluice box. The tin (occurring in crystals varying in size from that of a woman's fist to dust) being heavy, sinks to the tailor and is caught by the steps. The lighter soil and other materials are washed over the steps and away. Ilmanite (iron) was the main impurity but this, unlike tin, is magnetic and easily separated by a magnetic separation.

In the beginning, men dug the soil with picks and shovels, carrying it to the stream where the sluice box was positioned. But to step up production, Machobane, as - Mickey Reilly was known to the Swazis, asked for a budget to construct his Mhlambanyatsi water-way, whose source would be on the Mhlambanyatsi River up in the mountains near where Mhlambanyatsi Village is now located, and the Company sent down their engineer with a couple of directors from Johannesburg to assess the feasibility of his proposal. They took one look at the indicated route through the mountains and laughed it off as madness! Machobane had a big labour gang - he was the largest employer of men in Swaziland at the time - and he borrowed from this as many men as he could spare from time to time from his tin workings and started the construction of the “impossible” 271km long water furrow. A year or so later, when tin yields suddenly rocketed, the directors in Johannesburg became excited and thought Reilly had found the “Mother Load'' of tin. They came down to investigate and found the impossible aqueduct in use!!

Reilly had a problem in getting his tin across the Usushwana river which lay between him and his market. He unsuccessfully tried to persuade the government to bridge the river on the main Manzini Mbabane road. After repeated pleas for help which fell on deaf ears he built a pont and levied a fee of 2 shillings and sixpence to all government officials who used it. This was strictly enforced by 2 loyal burly Swazis! All non government servants had free float across the river! Huge indignation followed and resulted in the government paying Reilly out for his pont and eventually constructing the old Baily Bridge, which now spans the river at Mantenga. Thereafter Reilly's tin had much easier passage to market!

Reillys Rock has been added to over the years - the additions, also cast in stone – are differently styled to Moolman's original hand hewn masterpiece, but they blend with the ancient look of the original homestead.

And the views! They are stunning! Reilly 's Rock enjoys a commanding position in the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Swaziland's pioneer conservation area. Game and birdlife are an integral part of its setting. More than 75 bird species can be counted from the verandah. The exquisitely furnished interiors with hand-carved hardwood furniture and antique fittings, compete only with the privileged view which every secluded garden terrace and walkway enjoys. To the east, a very striking range of mountains of blue granite lies across the plains below. These are the Mdzimba Mountains, which in former times Billie Reilly referred to as her ''garden wall''. Alas, not so anymore, with the sea of development and rural sprawl which now starts halfway across the plain from the Park boundary to the Mountain. This sprawl has already encroached the foothills and is climbing higher up the slopes of the mountain day by day. But, mercifully, and thanks to Dr Anton- Rupert, half the plain below is protected within the boundary of Mlilwane and the large herds of-wildebeest, zebra, blesbuck, impala and warthog can be seen in occupation there from the verandah and terraces of Reilly's Rock, while nyala, kudu and a wealth of birdlife inhabit the slopes of Mlilwane hill. Where once not long ago, a single pair of car lights occasionally appeared on the Bremersdorp-Mbabane road in the distance below, now the entire valley beyond the Park boundary is lit up with a continuous blaze of lights between these two cities.

It was also across these grassland plains that another old pioneer used to find his way home in an old steam driven car. Buchanin was his name. And in Winter when the grass was tinder dry, his car set the veld alight as far as he went with sparks spewing skywards and burning coals falling from the stoking-oven every time he hit a bump. Whenever he crossed a stream or even in heavy rain the engine fire was doused and the engine died ! He sometimes said it would have been quicker to walk!

The Reilly family has decided to share this natural remnant of Paradise and has decided to share this natural remnant of Paradise and has opened it to National tourism. The atmosphere of Reilly's Rock is unique and the maturity of it lends a priceless agelessness to this “out of Africa” experience. The barking of the zebras on the plains below, the grunting of the impala rams contesting their territories, and the raucous call of the 'gwalagwala ' (Purple Crested Lourie) leave one in no doubt that this is Africa.

As much as the ingenious Reilly espoused Colonial interests, so have his son and family committed their lives to preserving the Swazi natural heritage. Beginning with the proclamation of Mlilwane, the family farm and Swaziland's pioneer conservation area, the Reillys have since 1961 contributed National Parks to the face of the country and shared in the Nation's joy at again being able to see lions and elephants and rhinos roaming wild in Swaziland once more. Indeed they have restored twenty two species of larger game to the Kingdom after these had become locally extinct at the hand of man. For 40 years the Reilly family has, with dedication and loyalty, served the Royal House of Swaziland in the field of Nature Conservation - And indeed has also enjoyed the total support of the Monarch with whom a long rich and productive relationship has made Nature Conservation in Swazi land so successful.

Reilly 's Rock, has an affinity with Nature and a kinship with all life. More about Reilly's Rock Accommodation