The town developed simultaneously as a health resort and transport centre with the railway from East London reaching the town in 1885. This prompted rapid development as a commercial centre for the north-eastern region of the British colony. The town is the centre of a prosperous farming community whose main products are wool, maize, wheat, beef and dairy. The town’s principle assets are two popular hot mineral springs, which have extremely high concentrates of minerals and gases. The concentrate of gas is so high that the first restaurant built here was able to maintain its cooking fire from gas funneled from the springs.