The vibrant suburb of Rosebank follows the pulsating urban lifestyle typical of large cities such as Johannesburg. Part commercial, part residential, Rosebank has attracted the young professional wanting easy access to work and other conveniences, and to be in the centre of nightlife action. Here, formal business meetings and social gatherings take place in street cafés, if the wireless connection is lightning fast and the coffee well brewed.
Rosebank has some of Johannesburg’s leading malls and several large corporations have their head offices located in the suburb. It is a short distance from the main highway linking Johannesburg with Pretoria, as well as parks, golf clubs, Wanderers cricket ground and the Sandton business precinct.
Top 8 reasons to visit Rosebank
1. You can experience the glitterati lifestyle in glamorous restaurants, cafés and wine bars scattered around the suburb. After sundown, see what the excitement is about at the night clubs in Rosebank.
2. Four stories of retail stores and over 2000 parking bays are available to shoppers visiting the trendy Rosebank Mall. The mall hosts two markets, the African Craft Market open daily and the rooftop Sunday Market.
3. To join a Soweto Sightseeing Tour, you depart from Rosebank, to see the homes of 2 of South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize winners. You cross Nelson Mandela Bridge, view Johannesburg from an observation platform 50 stories up and pass Constitution Hill with the city’s notorious century old prison.
4. The Joburg Gay Pride Parade takes place every spring and travels through the streets of Rosebank. The event highlights the need for gay equality and to recognise the nation’s rich diversity.
5. Looking to get away from the city for a day? Visit the Kloofendal Nature Reserve in Roodepoort, a pristine reserve with hiking trails and housing several mammal species and birdlife, and the Confidence Gold Mine where gold was first discovered in 1884. Note that the mine can only be viewed by appointment, ask your host to arrange.
6. The Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club is the country’s 8th ranked golf course and the club welcomes guests to a challenging round of golf on this scenic 18-hole course.
7. If you would like a fun family outing there is Gold Reef City theme park, where the rides range from the sedate Dream Boat to the terrifying Tower of Terror. The park has a number of restaurants and cinemas on the premises.
8. The energy is palpable at Arts on Main in the newly transformed Maboneng District, where artists can show off their works alongside cafés. The rooftop bar is popular and popup cinema screenings are held here.
Transport
Rosebank is 25kms from OR Tambo International Airport. National flights arrive and depart from Lanseria Airport, 30kms north of the suburb. The Gautrain (express rail service) operates between the airport and Rosebank. There are a number of metered taxi and shuttle service companies operating in Rosebank or you could register with Uber and order a ride via your mobile phone.
Did you know?
Commuters using Johannesburg’s informal tax operators known as Minibus Taxis have their own hand signalling system to flash their destination to the driver without the vehicle having to stop. An example is one where the hand faces downwards and the fingers curled as though holding a ball. This indicates the destination is Orange Farm, an informal settlement outside of the city.
Rosebank was one of the first suburbs to have trolley-bus transport in Johannesburg.
