Welkom has several monuments including: Aandenk Monument – This borehole memorial is shaped in the form of a key and symbolises the unlocking of the Free State goldfields.(next to Allanridge) Afrikaans Language Monument Joanne Pim Monument WWII Monument Voortrekker Memorial Dog Monument Old Indaba Bluegum Tree MOTH Memorial Gold Museum – A complete history of gold and its mining and production was on display. St Helena Gold Mine is not a working mine any more. Until a few years ago It was still possible to visit the mine and its wine cellar at 857m below surface but it does not exist any more. Museum of Welkom – The public library houses a display of the discovery of gold in Welkom, the town's history and bird and animal life indigenous to this region. Local Apartheid Memorial – commemorating local citizen's contribution to the Struggle in the Apartheid years. Climate Welkom normally receives about 401 mm to 550 mm of rain per year, dependent on wet or dry cycles, with most rainfall occurring mainly during mid-summer. It receives the lowest rainfall (0 mm) in July and the highest (70 mm) in January. The monthly distribution of average daily maximum temperatures ranges from 17 °C in June to 29 °C in January. The region is the coldest during July when the mercury drops to 0 °C on average during the night. Flora and fauna Welkom is situated on two vegetation units, the Western Free State Clay Grassland and Vaal-Vet Sandy Grassland, these are differentiated by soil types, rainfall and frost. The dominant grass species are Hyparrhenia hirta, Themeda triandra, Sporobolus pyramidalis, Eragrostis sp, Aristida sp, and other grasses and herbs. Trees and shrubs are infrequent due to heavy frost in the winter months. The grasslands surrounding Welkom also include small mammal communities of yellow mongoose, ground squirrel, Cape porcupine, African mole-rat, pouched mouse, large-eared mouse, four-stripe grass mouse, and multimammate mouse. The De Rust Private Nature Reserve is situated about 25 km from Welkom on the Kroonstad road and is registered with the Free State Department of Nature Conservation. Local geology: gold-bearing reefs Welkom is located on the south-western corner of the Witwatersrand Basin. This basin situated on the Kaapvaal Craton, is filled by a 6-kilometre thick succession of sedimentary rocks, which extends laterally for hundreds of kilometres. The De Bron Fault The Free State Goldfields are divided into two sections, cut by