Reading about Gold Reef City in travel literature and historical publications would be like scratching an itch from outside your boot; if you are looking to experience the sensation of gold rush during the 19th century that highlighted an entire era, you simply could not afford to miss Gold Reef City. 

Once renowned as the largest gold mine of the world, the mines at present-day Witwatersrand now remain solely as a tourist attraction. With a local guide, tourists will be able to go 220 meters beneath the earth's surface to see for themselves the mines where extensive gold mining took place in the past. All visitors are required to put on helmets and carry flashlights before they enter the mines. Taking the elevator to the mine tunnels on the fifth level, visitors will make their way to the depths of the mine along the mine cart rails. Along the way, visitors will see one of the two only remaining AC-DC converters in the world (for mining purposes); strange looking storage containers for explosives; posters with texts written in "miners' language" (which is a hybrid of multiple dialects used by the miners) along with various equipment that support the mine. In addition, visitors will also get to see demonstrations of how mining used to be done in the past and it is radically different from methods used in the present day. When you return to the surface after the tour is over, the experience might renew your appreciation to see the sunlight once more. In addition, demonstrations of gold nugget melting and casting are also available here. The government of South Africa regulates that all gold mines in the country are required to produce their gold in the form of gold bricks (with a purity of 86%~88%, weighing at 12kg each) before they may be delivered to the Rand Refinery to be further processed into gold bricks of 99.6% in purity at 12.5kg per piece. The processed gold bricks would then be auctioned off in the London Bullion Market or Zurich Gold Pool. It takes approximately 45 minutes to turn solid gold into liquid at a temperature of 1100 degrees centigrade. In contrast, it takes no more than five seconds for liquid gold to solidify. Tourists at Gold Reef City will be able to watch how molten gold is turned into gold bricks. According to the proprietor of Gold Reef City, any may be eligible to receive a complimentary gold brick as long as they were able to lift it off the table with two fingers. The challenge is a tricky one though because of the gold bar's smooth surface and trapezium shape. The fact that it is placed on the table in reverse makes the task of lifting it up even more difficult. According to the gold refiner there, few have been successful in their attempts.

All architectures and facilities at Gold Reef City have been restored from its original state as an abandoned Crown Mine into a theme park that recreates the atmosphere of a booming mine district in the 19th century Victorian era. The theme park accurately captures the authentic feel of a town in midst of the gold rush back in the 19th century with a diversity of establishments carefully furnished to recreate the environment including the post office, stores, bar, a slow-moving steam engine, laundry shop ran by early Chinese immigrants and a brewery. To experience a blast of the past and see for yourself what a town looks and feels like in an old Western movie, there is no better place to visit than Gold Reef City.