Springs, Gauteng

Springs is a bustling city just 50 km east of Johannesburg, nothing in terms of driving around the city of Gold, and is in fact considered by many as a suburb of Johannesburg. It lies in the area known as the East Rand which includes Benoni, Brakpan and Boksburg.

Springs is known for its engineering and manufacturing industries, which unfortunately leaves it with a rather unattractive and drab image – not the most alluring of cities as far as tourism goes. However, the locals enjoy the suburban, rather than city, atmosphere and the easy access it offers to the attractions of Johannesburg.

What Springs does offer by way of entertainment is its very popular Casino and Entertainment Centre and plenty of shopping opportunities from large Malls to more intimate shopping centres.

If you are a keen birder, the Blesbokspruit area is a must, designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance for waterbirds in 1986. Springs also boasts the Pioneer Park, adjacent to the CBD, a peaceful oasis in the middle of town. It is set around an ivy-covered mineshaft and includes a tree-lined lake, lovely aloe gardens, a stone bridge, streams, fountains and a functioning, authentic Dutch windmill.

Springs is also fairly well known for its architecture, some in much need of repair today, it has the second biggest collection of small scale Art Deco buildings in the world, after Miami in the USA. Other landmarks include several monuments to important figures in the city's development, like Paul Kruger, and the war cemetery where many Coloured soldiers are buried who died during the Second World War fighting in the Allied Forces.

Springs offers all forms of accommodation from budget accommodation to more exclusive B&B’s, Hotels and guest houses.

Things to do and see

• Blesbokspruit Wetland
• Carnival City Casino
• Pioneer Park
• Springs Mall
• Ekurhuleni Roadhouses
• East Rand Flea Market
• East Rand Mall
• Tamboville Cemetery, Benoni
• Wild Waters, Boksburg

Climate

Springs receives approximately 699 mm of rain annually with the majority falling during the Summer months.

Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 12˚C and 28˚C.

Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 1˚C and 23˚C.

Transport

There are daily flights into O R Tambo International Airport approximately 38 km away as well as into Lanseria International Airport, approximately 85 km away both via the N12. Car Hire facilities are available at the airport.

History

The name of the city derives from the large number of springs in the area. The original farm on which the city of Springs was later to be built, The Springs, was surveyed in 1883.

Coal was discovered in the area in 1887 and three years later the Transvaal Republic's first railway was built to carry coal from the East Rand coalfields to the gold mines of the Witwatersrand. Gradually, especially after coal was discovered further east in South Africa in Witbank, the Springs collieries were closed.

In the meanwhile, however, gold had also been discovered in the area. A village was laid out in 1904 and in 1908 the first gold mining began. New discoveries of gold brought rapid expansion and at one time, with eight important gold mines surrounding it, Springs was the largest single gold-producing area in the world.