Muldersdrift

Muldersdrift
Muldersdrift is home to a large hospitality industry
Muldersdrift Show map of Gauteng Muldersdrift Show map of South Africa Muldersdrift Show map of Africa  Muldersdrift shown within Gauteng
Coordinates: 26°01′59″S 27°51′00″E / 26.033°S 27.85°E / -26.033; 27.85Coordinates: 26°01′59″S 27°51′00″E / 26.033°S 27.85°E / -26.033; 27.85
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
District	West Rand
Municipality	Mogale City
Main Place	Krugersdorp
Area
• Total	4.66 km2 (1.80 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	1,744
• Density	370/km2 (970/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	89.9%
• Coloured	0.9%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	9.1%
First languages (2011)
• Tswana	19.2%
• Zulu	15.1%
• Sotho	10.1%
• English	8.4%
• Other	47.1%
Postal code (street)	1747
PO box	1739
Area code	011

Muldersdrift, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, is a picturesque rural area situated 27 km north-west of the CBD between Johannesburg and the Magaliesberg mountain range. The area falls under the West Rand District Municipality, and is part of Mogale City.

Located in the Kromdraai Valley and on the Crocodile River, Muldersdrift forms part of the Crocodile Ramble, a scenic tourist route generally regarded as the most popular of all the craft routes around South Africa. Muldersdrift is the gateway to the West Rand, and forms part of Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

Muldersdrift is found on a drift, a ford offering a safe crossing point of the Crocodile River. The river crossing point was on an old wagon route that lead from Pretoria in the north-east to Potchefstroom in the south-west. The area was said to have been settled in 1840s as farmland and the area acquired its name in 1866 after the Mulder family when they camped close to the river when they were unable to across the drift due to flooding. The spot would soon become an outspan (resting spot) site for horse and oxen on the wagon route and would attract a postmaster long before the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand.

With its wealth of tourism establishments and more than 40 wedding venues and conference centres, Muldersdrift is known for its fine accommodation, restaurants, spas and health resorts. It is often referred to as the “wedding capital” of Gauteng. Home to numerous small farms, smallholdings and nurseries, the area has acquired a reputation for being an arts and cultural hub with a number of home craft industries with a number of potters, artists, brewers, and astronomers based in the area.