Tourism Attractions

Welkom

Goldfields Casino

The Casino Floor boasts a variety of exciting slot machine games like Blackjack, Casino Hold’em Poker and American Roulette. The Casino complex offers all round family entertainment that consists of a video arcade, buffet restaurant, fast food court, candy shop and a cigar bar.

Phakisa Racetrack

The Phakisa Freeway is an international standard, multi-purpose motor sport facility situated in the heart of the Goldfields region of the Free State. Phakisa means “Get Moving” in Sotho.

Oppenheimer Park Golf Club

The golf club is situated just outside the town of Welkom in the Free State Province. It is a challenging 18 hole, par 72 parkland golf course, designed by well known South African Golf Course designer, Robert Grimsdell was opened in 1951.

Welkom Gold Museum

A complete history of gold and its mining and production is on display in the library. This public library also displays the town’s history as well as bird and animal life indigenous to this region.

Other Places of Interest

The world’s deepest wine cellar is at the St Helena Mine (Welkom) and is located at 857m below the earth’s surface. Underground mine tours can be arranged.

Ventersburg

The Willem Pretorius Game Reserve

The Willem Pretorius Game Reserve is situated in the heart of the Free State with the Allemanskraal Dam (with a surface area of 2 771) forming the central part. The reserve itself covers some 12 005ha. It has a great variety of game and bird species. Among the many game species are the world’s largest herd of black wildebeest, as well as springbok, blesbok, gemsbok, kudu, red hartebeest, eland, zebra, white rhino and giraffe. There are no large predators in the park – caracal and blackbacked jackal are the two largest carnivores in the reserve. There is also a wealth of bird life, with a total of about 220 species.

Police Museum

The police museum in Ventersburg is the only police station in South Africa which is fully restored and claims national heritage status as from 30 May 1987. This museum is the only of its kind in the Free State and one of four countrywide.

Sand River Convention Monument

The Sand River Convention monument is 15km from the town en-route to Winburg. It was at this spot that the legendary Sandriver-convention was signed between the Boers and the English, proclaiming the local inhabitants independent from the crown. The Wildlife Festival Marathon is a unique marathon where the athletes run through Willem Pretorius Reserve during the annual wildlife auction. This is a qualifying event for the Comrades.

Virginia

The Sand River, on which the town is set, is ideal for boating, water-skiing, fishing and swimming. A hiking trail along its banks is much frequented by bird-watchers. The Tikwe Lodge Park features monthly craft markets and the adjoining Virginia Game Reserve allows a look at the elusive smaller buck species. Virginia also boasts the place where the ring was made that was featured in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Contact information

Physical address:

319 Stateway Street
Welkom
9460

Postal address:

PO Box 708
Welkom
9460

The Office of Municipal Manager

Tel:         (057) 357 391 3237
Fax:        (057) 357 4393

The Office of Mayor

Tel:         (057)391 3911
Fax:        (057) 353 2482
Website: www.matjhabeng.co.za

References