An Engineer’s Eye, a Traveller’s Heart

Rob Marsden’s story isn’t the typical boardroom-to-bushveld fairytale. It’s better. It’s a tale of accidental love, a builder’s stubborn vision, and a gamble taken on a neglected piece of land that most would have passed by.

The UK civil engineer arrived in South Africa in 2001, on what was supposed to be a temporary hardship posting from Hong Kong. But something clicked. The wide skies, the raw beauty, the sheer tangible life of the place got under his skin. “South Africa is my happy place,” he says, a simple statement that explains two decades of life choices.

The Pull of a Place That Has It All

A man who has built projects across Asia and the Middle East, Marsden found a unique completeness here. “If you want mountains, you have mountains. If you want the desert, there’s desert. The bush, the countryside, the wine, the steaks, the rugby, the cricket. It’s all here.” This wasn’t just a posting; it was the discovery of a portfolio of passions in one country.

Years later, while living with his wife in Austria, the war in Ukraine brought a stark contrast. The anxiety of proximity to conflict solidified a feeling. “Those risks don’t exist here,” he reflects. “Every country has its problems, but the positives here far outweigh the negatives.”

The Gamble on Ruins and a Big Five Dream

The pivotal moment came seven years after he first settled. In the Dinokeng Game Reserve, north of Pretoria, a rundown plot with little more than building ruins came on the market. Where others saw neglect, Marsden, with his engineer’s vision, saw potential. “We were confident that if we acquired it, it could become a big five reserve,” he recalls. “It was worth the gamble.”

And so he stepped far outside his comfort zone. With no hospitality experts, no seasoned resort planners, he designed Golden Impalas Bush Resort from a single perspective: his own as a lifelong traveller. He asked himself what felt right, what created a sense of place and peace. He aimed for the high end because he saw a gap, and today, the lodge stands as the only five-star property in the reserve.

{Source: Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com