"Johannesburg ~ my childhood home " a Johannesburg Travel Page by Jenniflower

Joburg is so culture-rich, from its gold rush and mining tales, to the modern shopping centres and sophisticated stock exchange, to the expansive wildlife and game parks that are near by. It is a city that is alive and full of character and vibe. I cannot do it justice, but will at the very least, try and open up your eyes and show you a Joburg unknown by others.

The untold story.

There is so much bad press about its security and crime etc. and of course this is a serious issue, but there is so much GOOD and wholesome too, and this is what I will endeavour to show you. Dont worry, I will take my rose tinted spectacles off first ;)

Johannesburg started out when gold was discovered in 1886 and it has developed at a lightening pace since then. It's other name 'eGoli', means 'City of gold'. Its large gold resources were found in the Witwatersrand area.

Johannesburg is a part of Gauteng, which is responsible for 40% of the country’s GDP, which is pretty amazing when you think about it! It’s the business hub of the country, and is vibrant and alive, with half of South Africa’s population living here.

People give Johannesburg an unnecessary bad rap I feel. The people are friendly and I had an incredibly happy childhood here. Crime is NOT as bad as people make out, but does exist.

It is also not a huge city centre only... there are beautiful suburbs that surround it (especially the northern suburbs, my personal preference), and rural life, botanical gardens, game parks and enjoyable drives are not far away.

I was born in coastal Cape Town (South Africa), and as a toddler of 2 moved to Johannesburg (Joburg, as its fondly called) with my family. I spent many wonderful years there with my mum and 3 siblings, and then moved back to Cape Town as a sprightly 22 year old to start my handmade paper and design business. I am glad I did as that is where I met my husband :)

Our latest visit back home to South Africa was in February 2007, and we were amazed by the amount of development in the country as a whole, but especially in Johannesburg. This is good news as it shows the economy is doing well, but bad news for environmentalists, because so much of the veld and greenery has gone.

My siblings and I in Johannesburg (1980) :)