For the town in Western Australia, see Harrismith, Western Australia.
Harrismith is a large town situated on the N3 highway in the Free State province of South Africa between Johannesburg (about 350 km from Johannesburg) and Durban. This important crossroads in South Africa's land trade routes is surrounded by mesas and buttes and located at base of one of these called Platberg ("Flat Mountain" translated from Afrikaans). The town was founded in 1849 by British Governor Harry Smith, who tried to persuade the disillusioned Voortrekkers not to abandon Natal.
