In the article below, journalist Lucille Davie reveals some unique history about Albert's Farm in Johannesburg. Some of the community and planning details are out of date as the article was written on 16 September 2005. Nevertheless, the history of the site remains as fascinating as ever. Click here to view more of Davie's work.
The only Artesian spring in Gauteng is on Albert’s Farm in Albertskroon in Joburg’s northwest suburbs, spurting a fresh, clean trickle of water throughout the year.
The Alberts' Farm Conservancy is a 90ha piece of gently slanted land up against the southern side of the Northcliff ridge, the second largest green lung in the city after Delta Park. It is an ecologically significant area, with a high diversity of indigenous grass and shrub species, as well as several dams, a wetland, a marsh, and of course, the spring and stream.
The conservancy is in the middle of dense suburbia, providing local residents with a welcome green lung. It’s a popular weekend picnic area, used every day by dog walkers as well.
The artesian spring is formed by two slanted rock formations – the south facing shale meets the downward-sloping quartz rock from the north, forming an impenetrable basin in which the water forms, and then forced, under pressure, to the surface. A normal spring is formed when underground water, moving through permeable layers, hits an impermeable layer and is forced to the surface.
”The spring runs throughout the year,” says Noel Perry, the chairperson of the...
