We weren’t really sure whether Gold Reef City (🎟️395 ZAR) was worth a visit. Built around a former gold mine, this unusual combination of amusement park and historical attraction recreates life in Johannesburg around the turn of the 20th century. The site commemorates the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the event that triggered the gold rush and ultimately led to Johannesburg´s founding and explosive growth.
Gold Reef City opened in 1987, initially centred around a historical mine tour, before gradually expanding into the large amusement park it is today. The buildings are designed to resemble 1880s Victorian Johannesburg, while staff dressed in period clothing add to the atmosphere. A casino and the Apartheid Museum were later added to the wider complex.
For an additional 45 ZAR, we visited the historic Shaft 14, which formed part of the enormous Crown Mines operation. The shaft operated for 84 years after opening in the late 19th century and finally closed in 1971.
The scale of the mining operation is hard to imagine. By 1922, the Shaft 14 system had reached 57 underground levels and a depth of almost 3,293 metres, making it the deepest mine in the world at the time.
Today, part of the original shaft has been preserved as a museum. We descended in a cage elevator to around 80 metres below ground, where the underground tour gave us a glimpse into the harsh and dangerous conditions in which generations of miners worked.
Whatever doubts we had about visiting Gold Reef City disappeared once we went underground. For us, the historic mine turned out to be far more interesting than the amusement park itself — and offered a fascinating insight into the gold rush that created Johannesburg.
Parking location – Johannesburg – Edenvale: 26.1427729S 28.1848257E (🚻,🚿,🏊,💦,🔌,🫧,🅿️200 ZAR)