Travel underground in this fascinating recreated old mining village. See real gold bars and experience the reason for the outbreak of the gold fever. The entertainment area in theme park style does not only offer roller coasters but also traditional dance shows and a casino. Deepen your knowledge about South Africa's history at the Apartheid Museum that can also be found here.
Egoli City of Gold, is the Nguni name for Johannesburg meaning gold. While the actual origins of the name Johannesburg are not really known, its successful gold mining history has made it the gold capital of the world. The beginnings of the Gold Reef starts with the famous discovery site of the Main Reef conglomerates on a farm called Langlaagte, which is located in the west of the city.
In the old workings here both the Main Reef and the Main Reef leader can be seen. Following Main Reef Road into the city there are quite a few gold mine dumps but not much can be seen of the original mines. By 1900 the Witwatersrand's fantastic gold deposits supplied more than a quarter of the world's gold.
Mining this gold which was a long way under the surface and only in certain areas was a monumental task and required state of the art machinery - a few of the big mining houses at the time rose to the occasion to bring about the necessary investment, a driving force in the Johannesburg economy.
The famous Crown Mines area in Gauteng is where Gold Reef City is located, this is a turn-of-the century mining village where reprocessing of old mine dumps happens to recover the remaining gold. A short distance from here is the old mining and financial area. In Main and Hollard Streets visitors can see the exterior of the old Stock Exchange, quite a number of historic Mining Houses and also a preserved stope of the old Ferreira Mine.
Johannesburg today has South Africa's main international airport OR Tambo International, located to the east of this huge sprawling city. World class high-end shopping, big business and a major convention centre are 30 minutes away in Sandton.
The Gold Reef area near "Jozi" is the gateway to a great many attractions in Gauteng such as the Cradle of Mankind reached in 45 minutes, Sun City and the legendary Palace Hotel just 2 hours away. Other appealing destinations in the near of this Gauteng area are the Gary Player golf courses and the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve.
In the East is the world renowned Kruger National Park, where the Big Five (Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Lion and Buffalo) game animals and many others can be seen, these are just a few of a long list of amazing things to see and do.
Gold Reef City Entertainment
The Gold Reef City complex, a recreated and fascinating old mining village, was built a short walk away from the original headgear of one of Johannesburg's oldest and most profitable mines. Visitors can now travel 220 metres underground down the No.14 Shaft into the old Crown Mines gold workings which started in 1887.
At the smelt house, visitors can see authentic bars of gold being made. This area is a top attraction in Johannesburg. The Gold Reef City complex in Gauteng is made up of the old mining village, a rip-roaring theme park, the Apartheid museum and a Gold Reef City Casino proving to be a winning combination.
The appeal of this entertainment complex is broad. Visitors will most likely not see such a detailed and colourful depiction of life in the mining world set in the turn of the nineteenth century, anywhere else.
Traditional African music, dance and history found throughout the complex is appreciated by many overseas guests, and the carefully documented history of Apartheid is so well thought out and displayed in the Museum, and is well worth a visit.
