Delta Park and surrounds: A guide to Blairgowrie, Craighall, and Victory Park

25 Mar 2025

the Delta Environmental Centre. Photo: Johannesburg In Your Pocket

Beautiful cosmos in Delta Park. Photo: Johannesburg In Your Pocket

Welcome to Delta Central. Photo: @delta__central

The suburbs of Craighall Park and Blairgowrie, less than a 10-minute drive along Jan Smuts from Rosebank share access to the lovely Delta Park, one of Joburg's historic parks (also accessed from the west from Victory Park). The park has many year-round attractions, including the Art Deco gem that is the Delta Environmental Centre, and a fantastic array of restaurants, cafes and bars within walking distance. Visit Delta Central, Delta Heights and Delta Cafe.

Delta Park has multiple entrance points and car parks, here's some directions to its trifecto: In Blairgowrie, park at the car park at Pitcairn Road or Bantam Road. In Victory Park follow Craighall Road all the way into the park to park next to the Delta Environmental Centre. If you arrive early you can also usually find parking spots on the street at Marlborough Drive next to the REEA Foundation (from where you can cross the bridge to enter the park).

Fields of beauty, Cosmos in Delta Park. Photo: Johannesburg In Your Pocket

Our favourite season in the park is Cosmos season. Each year in late March to early April these wildflowers bloom, creating a sea of pink and white flowers that is quite an extraordinary sight. For more on this read @2Summers The Cosmos flowers of Delta Park: 2022 Edition and to see the incredible entries from last year's #CosmosInYourPocket competition held in 2024, simply click here.

Celebrating these fleeting pink and white blooms, we invite you to enter our #CosmosInYourPocket photo competition for 2025 by sharing your best shot of the season. Photographs must be taken in and around Johannesburg to qualify. Check out our guide to viewing the cosmos in bloom in Joburg and surrounds.

We're hosting two cosmos experiences in March and April 2025 with friends of Johannesburg In Your Pocket. First up, a guided tour around the beautiful and historic Delta Park with Kennedy Tembo of MicroAdventure Tours on Sat, Mar 29 from 09:30 – book tickets here. The following weekend, Heather Mason aka @2Summers will lead another excursion in Delta Park, sharing tips for shooting portraits amongst the cosmos flowers on Sat, Apr 5 from 15:30 – book tickets here.

The #CosmosInYourPocket photo competition is open from Wed, Mar 19 – Mon, Apr 21, 2025. We have great prizes up for grabs from Coalition Pizza, Delta Cafe, and more to be announced soon. The winning photos will be decided by public vote.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the grand announcement.

Here's a guide to where to eat and drink to help you make the most of any visit.

1. Delta Park

A walk, run or cycle through Delta Park is a beautiful way to spend a morning. Photo: Johannesburg In Your Pocket.

One of the green lungs of Joburg, Delta Park with the impressive Spruit running through it, has sprawling grasslands, wetlands and woodlands. As one of the city's best-maintained parks, it thrums with walkers, dogs, cyclists and families daily. Take a walk or run on one of the marked trails if you want to get active or bring a picnic blanket and find a shady spot if you're looking for a slower day. Delta Park offers a scenic 5km circular walk with views of the Joburg skyline and vibrant cosmos flowers in autumn – For more on the Cosmos season, see here.

The southern lawns near Craighall Road are ideal for picnics, while the nearby Delta Cafe at the REEA Foundation Urban Farm provides a relaxed dining spot with a playground and pizzeria. Next door, Gerakaris Winery offers wine tastings. The park is a key section of the 37km JoziTrails cycle path, which follows the Braamfontein Spruit from Emmarentia to Rivonia, also used by horse riders. A short walk north leads to Delta Central in Blairgowrie, with various dining options including the Fresh Earth cafe and health food shop, the Mad Giant craft beer taproom and Coalition for excellent Neapolitan-style pizzas. On the park’s western side, the Delta Environmental Centre, a perfectly preserved three-storey Art Deco building that was originally built as part of a sewage works plant (closed in 1963), now serves as an educational hub for environmental protection.

2. Craighall

DELTA CAFE
Street Address: 76 Marlborough Ave, Craighall Park

Casual outdoor eating at Delta Cafè. Photo: Delta Cafè

Delta Cafè's views over the rolling grasses and trees of Delta Park make it a perfect way to get a quick break from the city. With two covered outdoor seating areas, you can enjoy this cafè, beer garden and pizza restaurant rain or shine. With Delta Park's stables next door and the REEA Foundation Urban farm, a jungle gym and plenty of green space, it's an ideal spot for families to or fiends to gather.

Just off the entrance of the park, Vice Coffee located at 11 Rothesay Avenue, Craighall Park, is a stylish café serving single-origin Mexican coffee, elixirs, and gourmet bites in a cosy, Aztec-inspired setting. Close by, Cnr Café is a lively neighborhood bistro serving fresh, homemade dishes and Cape wines in a relaxed indoor-outdoor setting.

3. Blairgowrie

DELTA CENTRAL AND DELTA HEIGHTS
Street address: 74 Hillcrest Ave, Blairgowrie

End your evening walk at Delta Central. Photo: Delta Central.

Delta Central opened in 2020, reimagining what was previously a dull corner of Joburg. Today it's a major attraction and its location at Delta Park's Spruit entrance has meant it quickly became a favourite hangout for cyclists, walkers and residents in the areas. Forming part of its entrance is Delta Heights.

For delicious healthy eating, be it sitting down or gathering groceries, head to Fresh Earth. Then for those who have a taste for beer, the Mad Giant Taproom (a great locally-made beer brand) is a mini heaven with their rotating selection of carefully brewed beers. If you need cooling down, Joburg's favourite ice cream shop Paul's Homemade Ice-Cream has you covered, and finally get your fix of pizza with the authentic Neopalitan pizzas at Coalition Pizza. There's also the tiniest wine bar in town here, Mr Pants, that on weekends doubles up as a bagels shop called Bird's Bagels.

4. Victory Park and Linden

Take an organic shopping trip through Farm Table - Nature's Grocer. Photo: @farmtablegrocer

If you accessing Delta Park from Victory park side, look at for these hotspots located on 1st Avenue. Goddess Cafe, is a charming, pink-themed spot offering gourmet breakfasts, light meals, indulgent desserts, and signature drinks. It’s pet-friendly and caters to private events. Close by: John Dough Sourdough Pizzeria is known for its delicious wood-fired pizzas and relaxed atmosphere. Farm Table - Nature's Grocer offers organic, locally sourced products and artisanal goods, focusing on sustainability. It also features an eatery serving wholesome meals and coffee. For art lovers, The Creatory is a creative space that offers a variety of art and design workshops, events, and collaborative projects. It’s a hub for artists and creatives to connect, learn, and share ideas.

From here, it's a short drive to Linden, where you can explore its 4th and 3rd Avenue by foot. Look out for spots like The Argentinean situated at the corner of 4th Avenue and 7th Street and Choo Choo Junction located at 57 4th Avenue.