South Africa Travel Final Part: Gold Reef City: Gold Mine Museum
Filed under: South Africa Travel Final Part: Gold Reef City: Gold Mine Museum
South Africa Travel Final Part: Gold Reef City: Gold Mine Museum
Friday, 2 Dec 2016
Gold Reef City: Gold Mine Museum
This Friday was our last day in South Africa before we went back to Malaysia, our homeland, in the evening. But we had one more place to visit in the morning. It was a gold mine museum which was in a theme park known as Gold Reef City that was located 7 km south-west of Johannesburg City. The museum offered an underground mine tour.
Map showing gold rich area, Witwatersrand, and Gold Reef City Theme Park
Underground Gold Deposit
Witwatersrand region around Johannesburg City has the largest underground gold deposit in the world. 50% of the world’s gold production is from this region.
When gold was first discovered in 1886 in this region gold prospectors from within and without South Africa rushed to the place and started drilling for the underground gold.
Crown Mines Group
Crown Mines Group, one of the gold prospectors, started mining in 1916 at the place known as Shaft 14 which is now located in Gold Reef City Theme Park. It closed Shaft 14 in 1977 when the depth of the mining level had reached 3293 metres below the surface. In 1979, it donated the land to Rand Mines which turned it into a museum.
Crown Mines owned Shaft 14 and the diagram shows that gold had been mined to the level, 3293 metres below the surface.
Gold Mine Tour
After breakfast at Hotel Peermont Mondior that was near Johannesburg International Airport, we travelled to Gold Reef City, a theme park. When we reached the park, there were many people, young and old from all walks of life, waiting for the gate to be opened before they could go in and enjoy the kinds of thrills they liked inside.
Choo Chaw taking a photo at Hotel Peermont Mondior before leaving for Gold Mine Museum
People of all ages and from all walks of life waiting outside Gold Reef City where they could enjoy many thrills
Pictorial map showing the locations of different thrills and Gold Mine Museum Tour
When it was opened, we passed through it to get to the gold mine museum. The mine was originally owned by Crown Mines Group which started mining the place in 1916 and closed it in 1977 when the shaft known as Shaft 14 reached a depth of 3293 metres below the surface.
Entrance to Gold Reef City Theme Park and Gold Mine Museum which offers mine tour
Shaft 14
At the museum, a mine tour-guide greeted us and gave each of us a headlamp and safety-helmet. Then we followed him to Shaft 14, entered the shaft-cage or elevator which brought us to Level 2 that was 75 metres below the surface.
Headlamps and helmets were given to fellow-Malaysians before entering the underground gold mine.
Shaft 14 of Crown Mines has two shafts for transporting miners, equipment and materials from 1916 until 1977
Fellow-Malaysians entering Shaft 14 for an underground mine tour
Head-Frame and Winder
The cage was lowered into Shaft 14 by a cable that went round a tall head-frame and to a hoist-machine or winder outside the shaft.
Head-frame for lowering or hoisting up shaft-cage or elevator with the help of hoist-machine
Air-compressor(green) for pumping air into shafts and shaft-winder for lowering or hoisting cage or elevator in shafts
Acid Mine Water
Although the maximum depth of the mine was about 3293 metres underground, most of the shafts had been filled with acid mine water. The acid was produced when rain-water flowed into the shaft and reacted with sulfides of iron in the underground rocks.
Choo Chaw and wife visiting underground gold mine
Underground Mine Tour
At Level 2, our mine-guide gave us a good lesson on mining, uses of machines, safety measures, first-aid given to injured miners, etc.
Adit or tunnel
leading to a place or stope where gold-ore was excavated
Mine tour-guide giving mining lesson to fellow-Malaysians at Level 2 of Shaft 14
Fellow-Malaysians following the guide into the deep tunnel
Gold-Bearing Rocks
The rocks in the mine of Crown Mines consist of conglomerate pebbles, mostly of quartz, in sandy matrix with abundant pyrite(iron sulfide) in the cement. It is the cement that contains the gold and not the pebbles. Less than one gram of gold can be extracted from one ton of gold-bearing rock in the underground mine. But this amount varies from place to place.
Gold-bearing rocks in a tunnel at Level 2
Relics at Level 2
There were several relics of the mine left behind at Level 2 for visitors to see, such as locomotive, wagons, explosives, fuses, mercury arc rectifier and a few more.
Locomotive for pulling wagons loaded with rocks and equipment
A machine for loading gold-bearing rocks into wagons
Explosives for blasting gold-bearing rocks
An old mercury arc rectifier for converting alternating current into direct current for machines in the gold mine
Pump for getting rid of water in the underground mine
Mine-Workers’ Jobs
In the mine dummies were used to show visitors the jobs mine-workers used to do, e.g. drilling, taking attendance of workers and loading rocks.
A dummy resembling a mine-worker drilling rocks to break them up
A clerk in the mine taking attendance of mine-workers
First Aid
A space at Level 2 in the mine was used for treating injured workers when the mine was in operation.
A space in the mine for treating injured miners
Escape Routes
The mine tour-guide showed us the inclined shafts in the diagram which workers could walk up or down to go to another level or used them as escape routes for evacuation in case of explosion, tunnel collapse or other dangerous happenings in the underground mine.
The mine tour-guide showing the escape-routes for evacuation in the diagram at Level 2.
Inclined shaft for going to another level or evacuation when there is a dangerous happening
After an educational tour of the underground mine, we went back to the surface and waited for a hot liquid gold pouring demonstration in a room.
Relics left behind on the Ground by Crown Mines
While waiting for the demonstration, I looked around and saw some relics left behind by Crown Mines, e.g. locomotive, wagons, generators, water-pumps, winders, etc.
A locomotive for pulling wagons carrying rocks, equipment, workers, etc.
Pump used for pumping water out of mine
This machine pumped air into the underground mine
A wagon full of gold-bearing rocks
Old electric generator producing electricity for operating the mine
Gold Pour Demonstration
In the demonstration in a room, two men brought out a container of liquid gold from an oven with temperature of over 1063 degrees Celsius(melting point of gold is 1063 degree Celsius) and poured it into a mould. When gold solidified, it weighed about 12.5 kg.
Visitors watching a hot liquid gold pour demonstration
Oven heating gold to its melting point of 1063 degrees Celsius
Two men pouring liquid gold into a mould
Gold Ingot or Bar
After the demonstration, visitors were asked to see a gold ingot or bar in front. Everybody was eager to touch the precious, yellow metal. The bar was about 99.5% and weighed 12.5 kg. It was worth about USD540,000 at the rate of about USD43,000 per kg on 2 Dec 2016, the day we watched the gold pour demonstration.
Everybody wanted to touch the gold bar weighing 12.5 kg and worth USD540,000 at current price rate on 2 Dec 2016.
Photo with Mine Tour-Guide
Before we left the gold mine museum for Johannesburg International Airport, my wife and I took a photo with the friendly mine tour-guide.
Choo Chaw and wife taking a photo with the gold mine tour-guide at the mine museum
Johannesburg International Airport
At 10.30 a.m. we, finally, left the museum and headed straight for Johannesburg International Airport or O.R. Tambo International Airport named after Oliver Tambo, a former President of African National Congress, in 2006.
Fellow-Malaysians and Choo Chaw checking in and flying off at Johannesburg International Airport on 2 Dec 2016 for home
Departure for Homeland, Malaysia
After checking in and waiting for a few hours at the airport, we, at last, flew away from Johannesburg at 2.30 p.m. to return to our homeland, Malaysia.
A Mauritius plane carrying fellow-Malaysians and Choo Chaw flying away from Johannesburg to their homeland, Malaysia, on 2 Dec 2016
Air-route from Johannesburg to Kuala Lumpur taken by a Mauritius plane that carried fellow-Malaysians and Choo Chaw
An Unforgettable South African Tour from 28 Nov-2 Dec 2016
Well, that was an unforgettable tour in South Africa. We have gained quite a lot of knowledge about South Africa, like her landscapes, people’s way of life, wild animals, mining activities, and many more.
Thanks for reading about this tour and hope it is helpful to you, if you plan to make a trip there.
The End
Written by Choo Chaw
South Africa Travel Part I: Air Flight from KLIA to Cape Town, Cape Town Shantytowns
South Africa Travel Part II: Table Mountain, Malay Quarter, Castle of Good Hope. A & V Waterfront
South Africa Travel Part III: Hermanus, Cheetah Outreach, Stellenbosch, Jewel Africa
South Africa Travel Part V: Pilanesberg National Park(Game Drives/Safaris)
South Africa Travel Part VI: Sun City Resort, Union Buildings, Vootrekker Monument
South Africa Travel Part VII Kruger Museum, Church Square, Melrose House, Carnivore Restaurant
South Africa Travel Final Part Gold Reef City, Gold Mine Museum
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