Kimberley, A Diamond in the Rough

Driving through Kimberley today, it’s hard to imagine it as a dusty frontier mining town or being under siege during the Anglo-Boer War. It’s a peaceful city, home to a cosmopolitan mix of friendly people who speak English, Afrikaans, Setswana and Xhosa, and with its blend of historical sandstone structures set amongst modern buildings, is the capital of the Northern Cape Province.

Kimberley owes its existence to its diamond reserves, and was founded some 150 years ago when an 83-carat diamond was discovered on a small kopje in the area. It didn’t take long before 50,000 diggers had trekked to the area and were sweating over the hard earth, each trying to excavate a personal fortune. The hill was soon mined flat, and then turned into a large, open pit mine which we know today as the Big Hole.

Although Kimberley is one of South Africa’s smaller cities, thanks to the diamond rush going full tilt it became the first large-scale industrial city in southern Africa. It was also the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to install electric streetlights, and was the home of South Africa’s first stock exchange and tram transportation network.

All that Sparkles

The first port of call during any visit to the city has to be the Big Hole and the accompanying Visitor’s Centre and Old Town. Some may wonder why a hole could be a tourism attraction, but the name, although on the nose, can’t quite capture the enormity of the mine. The Big Hole is said to be the largest hand-dug excavation in the world, although some claim this distinction actually belongs to the Jagersfontein Mine near Bloemfontein. Nevertheless, it’s certainly deeper than Jagersfontein and is impressive to behold. Created with picks, shovels and sweat, the Big Hole was mined between 1871 and 1914. When mining eventually ceased, some 22.5 million tons of earth had been excavated which yielded a staggering 2,722 kg of diamonds. That’s no small feat!

Start at the Visitor’s Centre, which tells the story of the diamonds and their diggers, with various displays that show what life was like for the fortune seekers who came here. You can get right up to the edge of the Big Hole using the cantilever ramp, explore the Old Town full of fascinating old buildings which capture what the town was like in the “old days”, and even take a ride on a vintage tram. There are also numerous shops selling everything from jewellery to leather goods, as well as a bowling alley, restaurant, pub, and coffee shop.

Into the Wild

Kimberley is surrounded by some beautiful wild places. Just 2 km north of the city is Kamfers Dam, a perennial wetland which has been given National Heritage Site status. The dam is home to more than 200 species of bird, including some 35,000 lesser flamingos, the largest population of these striking birds in southern Africa.

Also just outside the city limits, to the north, is Dronfield Nature Reserve, a 12,000 hectare park which is home to eland, gemsbok, giraffe, kudu, sable antelope and white rhino, as well as a vulture hide from which one can see the resident White-backed vultures. The reserve has six self-catering chalets under the shade of Camel thorn trees, with each unit offering en suite bathrooms, air conditioning, a fully equipped kitchen, and braai facilities.

South of the city is South Africa’s newest national park, Mokala National Park. With its open, sandy plains pockmarked with Camel thorns, game is easy to spot, including the rare tsessebe, roan antelope, black and white rhino, ostrich and gemsbok. For the birders there is a variety of raptors to spot, including goshawk, Martial eagles, Cape eagle owls and Lappet-faced, White-backed and Cape vultures.

A Dash of Culture

Kimberley is also home to one of South Africa’s finest art museums, the William Humphreys Art Gallery. Home to a collection of 16^th and 17^thCentury Dutch and Flemish Old Masters, British and French paintings, antique furniture and other **objets d’art**, the museum also collects ceramics, sculptures and paintings by local artists, including works by Stern, Van Wouws, Pierneef and Boonzaier.

The McGregor Museum is a major research institute specialising in natural and cultural history, and houses major collections, including a botanical herbarium, a history archive, as well as archaeological, rock art, zoological, paleontological and geological collections. The museum has nine satellites, including the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre which is home to 400 well preserved San engravings on a sacred hill owned by the !Xun and Khwe San, who were the first people to call the area home.

Those who lost their lives during the Siege of Kimberley during the Anglo-Boer War are remembered in the Honoured Dead Memorial. Designed by Sir Herbert Baker, the famed architect who later designed the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the memorial is one of the finest in the country and actually serves as the tomb of 27 soldiers. At the foot of the memorial is the “Long Cecil” gun, a once-off design manufactured in the De Beers workshops to battle the Boer artillery.

Old World Charm

If you want to complete the colonial experience after trawling through the city’s historical sites, there’s no better place to stay than the Kimberley Club and Boutique Hotel. Founded in 1881 by none other than Cecil John Rhodes, along with a number of other top men in the diamond industry, the club has a rich history, including burning down and being rebuilt twice, and hosting Queen Elizabeth II. The club is now a four-star boutique hotel, with 21 rooms decorated with original club furniture, and offers excellent dining in the Rhodes Grill Restaurant.

Did You Know?

If you think history is a little stuffy, Kimberley is also home to the Kumba Skate Plaza, a world-class skateboarding park which hosts the annual Kimberley Diamond Cup Skateboarding World Championships, drawing top skaters from around the world.

<sidebar> Useful Contacts

Northern Cape Tourism: Visit http://experiencenortherncape.com or call +27 53 832 2657

The Big Hole: Visit www.thebighole.co.za or call +27 53 839 4600

Dronfield Nature Reserve: Call +27 53 839 4455

Mokala National Park: Visit www.sanparks.co.za or call +27 12 428 9111 (central reservations)

William Humphreys Art Gallery: Visit www.whag.co.za or call +27 53 831 1724/5

McGregor Museum: Visit www.museumsnc.co.za or call +27 53 839 2700

Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre: Call +27 53 833 7069

The Kimberley Club and Boutique Hotel: Visit www.kimberleyclub.co.za or call +27 53 832 4224

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