Established in the early years of the Witwatersrand Gold Rush, Germiston is a vibrant city on the eastern edge of Johannesburg. It was founded by two miners who struck it rich and named the settlement after a farm near Glasgow. Germiston is famously home to the world’s largest gold refinery, which was constructed in 1921.
Things to do in Germiston
In the heart of Germiston is the Golden Walk Shopping Centre, a lively retail hub home to a Pick ’n Pay, a Woolworths and a Mr Price. You can browse the latest fashions at Beaver Canoe, shop for new shoes at Footgear or upgrade your electronics at Gadget King. Once you’ve built up an appetite, your choice of eateries includes Zonke, the Hungry Lion and the Braai Block.
A short stroll away is St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, which boasts a whitewashed steeple and a beautiful rose window. Completed five years later was St Boniface Church, one of several houses of worship built by the English-born architect Sir Herbert Baker. Designed in a combination of Norman and Romanesque styles, it is home to elegant stained glass windows and a Norman and Beard pipe organ.
Aviation enthusiasts can visit the South African Airways Museum Society, which was established in 1986 at Johannesburg’s Rand Airport. In addition to two Boeing 747s, a de Havilland Dove and a Lockheed Starliner, its exhibits include memorabilia from South African Airways. The society also owns the South African Historic Flight Collection, which can be hired for charter flights.
Getting around Germiston
Germiston is around a 15-minute drive from the centre of Johannesburg and 20 minutes from O.R. Tambo International Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Trains connect to the Germiston railway station and buses travel throughout the city, connecting most of its attractions.