Auckland Park

Auckland Park is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It lies on a gentle slope, the homes here gentrified and the neighbourhood offers a vibrant hum. Auckland Park is in proximity to the suburbs of Melville, Brixton, Westdene and Richmond.

Auckland Park is one of few suburbs close to the Johannesburg city centre to have survived the exodus of Jo’burgers to the northern suburbs.

The suburb was laid out by John Landau, a New Zealander, who named the area because he saw similarities between the land and his native home. Street names in the area are named after places along the river Thames - Richmond, Twickenham, Ditton, Kingston among others. Today, Auckland Park is home to a mix of nationalities and cultures and its inhabitants enjoy a vibrant lifestyle. The suburb is also well known as the area which is home of the SABC - the organisation's immense facilities can be seen on Henley and Artillery Road with many of the company's employees living in the surrounding areas.

Auckland Park housed some of Johannesburg's first residents. At the turn of the 20th century, Auckland Park was literally ‘in the country’ relative to the Johannesburg city centre. Victorian gentry who had made South Africa their home would have had weekend homes in the area. The original site offered a boating lake, located where the Auckland Park Country Club is today as well as a horse racing track, where the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU) is.

While not often advertised in local travel guides, a visit to the area along Chislehurst Avenue to admire some of the homes in the suburb is a great tourist attraction. Johannesburg's arty bohemian suburb Melville can be found several streets down from Auckland Park. Melville offers a superb way to spend your lunch time and evenings with a wide choice of restaurants, eccentric boutiques and sidewalks filled with tables.