Blaauwbank Historic Gold Mine

Useful Information

Location:	Station Road, Magaliesburg. 135 km from Johannesburg.
Open:	closed permanently. [2023]
Fee:	closed permanently. [2023]
Classification:	Gold Mine
Light:	miners lamps provided.
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Blaauwbank Historic Gold Mine, P.O. Box 1850, Kempton Park 1020, Tel: 082-567-3111, Fax: 014-577-1080, Cell: 082-465-2639. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1874	discovered by Henry Lewis, an Australian digger, mine opened.
1875	the discovery was officially recorded by President Burgers on behalf of Lewis and two Jennings brothers.
1913	7200 pounds of Gold were produced from 10,012 haons of ore.

Geology

The gold bearing quartz veins are interbedded within Timeball Hill shales.

Description

Blaauwbank Historic Gold Mine is called the oldest Gold Mine in Gauteng as it was established as early as 1874. The early years are not very well documented though, the first account is from the following year 1875. The first time the output of the mine was recorded, was in 1913.

The Blaauwbank mine is a historic mine, so the equipment shown on the tour originates from the 19th century. Fortunately, the helmets and the miners lamps provided for the visitors are modern. On the tour, the original equipment is shown. There are coco pans (the local term for miners' carts), picks, shovels, pit props and rope winches. Two different tours are offered, both are similar except for the length of the underground tour. The long tour also includes a lecture about the mining industry. Both include what they call reef digging, mining gold bearing rock from the so-called gold reef, and gold panning of the found material. They are pretty proud to have the only permit in the country that allows visitors to take the found gold home. As a matter of fact, the economy of South Africa is based on the mineral resources and as a result they are very touchy about people taking varuables away. Bear this in mind when you collect rocks...

The history of the mine is strongly connected with James Jennings, who was born 1816 at Londonbridge Deverill, Wiltshire, England. He left England in 1866 for Transvaal with his wife and 11 children. He trekked by ox wagon (which seems to be a South African specialty) 800 km to where the little town Magaliesburg stands today. Here he bought the farm Blaauwbank. The family developed both the gold mining and the tobacco industry.