The town of Balfour was originally called McHattiesburg, named after its founder Frederick Mchattie, in 1898. In 1905 the name was changed to Balfour, after the then British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour delivered a speech on the platform when his train stopped at the little town. Balfour is situated in the province of Mpumalanga, South East of Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and is primarily recognised as a small coal mining and maize farming town. Only an hour's drive from Johannesburg, this region is ideally suited for Gauteng residents who like to check out the wildlife, without having to travel long distances to visit The Kruger National Park and other big five reserves. The seasonal pink and white splashes of coloured fields of Cosmos are also a big attraction in the Balfour area.