Gold Reef City Gold Underground Tour

Gold Reef City – Gold Mine History

The Gold Reef City theme park is situated on a 10Ha site which surrounds the then number 14 gold mine shaft at Crown Mines. Indeed this 19th century gold mine produced 1.4 million kilograms of gold before closing in the 70’s.

 

The shaft was opened in 1897, thus only 11 years after Johannesburg was established and was part of the gold reef stretching 100 km from east of Boksburg to Randfontein in the west.

 

This made the Gold Reef City shaft 14 the world’s then richest producer of gold, 1.4 million kilograms over its 90 year life span.

 

This shaft was then at its time, one of the deepest gold mines and worked by 30 000 miners.

Gold mine tour takes you back in time with a first hand look at an old mining town, as well as the vibrant life of such a gold town.

A miner’s language (Fanagalo) was developed in 1910. This then enabled the miners from different cultures and languages to communicate.

Fanagolo was simplistic consisting of only 2000 words relevant to gold mining, however 25% of these were swear words.

 

For the miners, this was a tough way to earn a living with the heat, dampness, darkness and additionally the ear shattering noise of the drills.

 

Lighting was by candle-light, thus posing a continued risk of explosion due to the presence of methane gas.

Donkeys pulled the gold laden coco pans, staying down the mine for three months before then going blind.

 

There is gold remaining in the mine, however the price of gold at the time the mine closed, made it uneconomical to remove.

 

The lower levels of the mine are currently flooded – 19th level to the 57th level. Thus underground gold tours are conducted only up to the 5th level.

Gold Reef City – Underground mine gold tour

Thus traveling down a Gold Mine shaft – Gold Reef City

Gold Reef Shaft No 14, in production for 84 years – 1887 to 1971 and indeed, at its time, the deepest mine in the world.

 

Then travel down the Gold Mine shaft (under 5 years not allowed) in a large clangy lift to level 5 – 720 feet (226 meters) for a guided gold mine tour.

 

Walk down tunnels with a hard hat and a torch in hand and so experience the tough conditions that the gold miners had to endure.

 

Experience a short burst from a miners drill, this will accordingly give you an understanding as to why the miners would go deaf without ear plugs.

Then see the mine manager’s office with the miner’s identity box. This then helped identify missing miners.

 

Follow the coco pan tracks past the red dynamite box and get a view up a 35 degree slope with little head room and then wooden steps that lead to the surface of the mine in the event of a power failure.

 

Once back on the surface you experience daily demonstrations of pouring molten gold into gleaming bars of bullion and traditional miner’s gumboot dances on visiting the then mine manager’s house.

 

Additionally see how coins were pressed in the past and a museum dedicated to gold mining.

Gold Reef City – Mining Town Theme Park

The gold mining town has been reconstructed to capture the gold rush era times of the then early Johannesburg.

 

A comprehensive depiction of life in a turn of the century mining town. Including period houses and colourful street entertainment, hence discovering for yourself as to how the gold miners worked and played.

 

Staff wear period costumes and you can additionally have your picture taken in a period costume. Enjoy a beer in the saloon, then take a stroll through the animal farm or a ride on a steam train.

 

In addition a penny farthing cycle and a horse drawn carriage around the mine village.

The international appeal of the Gold Reef City amusement and theme park with its depiction of nineteenth century gold mining life is seen daily by a large number of tourists.

 

Johannesburg is one of the most popular cities in Africa and is also the continents economic powerhouse.

Its history is based solely around the discovery of gold and this park brings the gold tour to life with a glimpse into the economic development of Johannesburg and its gold mining.

Travel back in time with a first hand look at an old gold mining town.

Transfer and safari options to add to any South Africa visit

Scenic and wildlife sanctuaries – South Africa Birding:

Cheetah:

Cheetah Experience – day trip from Johannesburg

Elephant:

Elephant interaction visit, Hartbeespoort dam.

Monkey:

Bush baby monkey Sanctuary, Hartbeespoort Dam

Bird

Ekala Eco Birding – South Africa

Kruger and Pilanesberg National Parks Safari

Pilanesberg

Overnight Pilanesberg private safari

Kruger:

Ultimate Kruger National Park private safari

Eco tours and safari

Environmentally sustainable safari

Palaeo – Cradle of Humankind:

Maropeng and Sterkfontein Cave day trip

Scenic and Nature:

Graskop Panorama

Panorama route – en-route to or from the Kruger

Botanical Gardens

Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden

South Africa Transfers – Airport transfers – Train transfers – Kruger transfers

Transfers

Private point to point transfer service in South Africa

Layover transfer

Layover transfers – Pretoria/Johannesburg/Kruger

Kruger transfers

Transfer to Kruger via panorama route

Airport transfers

Airport transfers – Johannesburg O. R. Tambo airport

Train transfers

Johannesburg City Park Station transfers