Kimberley Kimberley is located in the centre of South Africa, which means that its pretty far of from anything else, Durban is 845 km, Cape Town almost 1000 and Johannesburg still a good 500. Kimberley is directly associated with the diamond trade. Diamonds brought Kimberley its wealth and today they bring Kimberley visitors who want to know more about these precious stones. Kimberley is an ideal place for this.
Although the frenetic activity, the extraordinary web of pully cables leading to a six-storey staging platform and the sight of up to 30 000 miners working 3 600 claims over 17ha have faded into the sepia of memories of photographic archives, memories of the Kimberley tent-towns halcyon days still linger.
Many old buildings, museums and one of South Africas most important art galleries lend an historic ambience to the modern city that thrust its way to prominence through the heat, dust, flies and fever of the diamond rush. A partial reconstruction of the original rush town - or open-air museum - alongside the incredible Big Hole, the largest hand-dug excavation in the world, offers visitors insights in the history of the Diamond industry.
The Big Hole was mined to a depth of about 800m (depth of shaft = 1100m). The distance from the surface to the layer of debris lying on top of the kimberlite pipe is about 215m , including (in 2001) some 40m of water. It has a surface area of 17 hectares and a perimeter of 1.6km. It is the largest hand dug excavation in the world. By 14 August 1914 22,7 billion kg of earth had been excavated, yielding 2722 kg of diamonds. Underground mining was also eventually carried out at the Kimberley Mine, not just open pit mining.
Consisting of original and carefully reconstructed buildings this museum has preserved a great deal of the city's past. The Eureka, the first recorded diamond discovered in South Africa, can be viewed at the museum. Have some fun sifting through diamond bearing gravel, looking for your own diamond. Play skittles in the old bowling alley, or just stroll through the old buildings which have been reconstructed here at the museum.
the heat, dust, flies and fever of the diamond rush. A partial reconstruction of the original rush town - or open-air museum - alongside the incredible Big Hole, the largest hand-dug excavation in the world, offers visitors insights in the history of the Diamond industry.
perimeter of 1.6km. It is the largest hand dug excavation in the world. By 14 August 1914 22,7 billion kg of earth had been excavated, yielding 2722 kg of diamonds. Underground mining was also eventually carried out at the Kimberley Mine, not just open pit mining.