Diamonds And Diggings At The Big Hole In Kimberley

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Digging for diamonds has made the Big Hole in Kimberley the popular tourist destination that it is today. Kimberley is the capital of the Northern Cape and the site of a man made hole that is 215m deep, although 40m of ground water leaves only 175m visible. Originally the hole was 240m deep which does not really make it the biggest modern mine although its area spans seventeen hectares.

It all started in 1866 when the first diamond was discovered by a fifteen year old shepherd, Erasmous Jacobs, near the Orange River. Two brothers by the surname of De Beer purchased the land with no intention of mining as they were more interested in farming at that time. The focus changed to mining when fortune hunters from around the world became aware of the riches and the brothers sold their farmland. And although the brothers did not become the owners of the mines, one of the mines inherited their name and De Beers group dominates the market today and produces about 40% of all diamonds on earth. In 1914 the Big Hole in Kimberley was closed and in 2006 the tourist facilities were redesigned.

A cantilevered platform above the rim of the Big Hole in Kimberley was completed that allows the visitors a vertical view down into the hole, as it protrudes across the rim which is 90m long. In the Visitors Centre guests can join a tour with an information officer every half hour to learn why diamonds are forever.