The Big Hole in Kimberley

The Big Hole is situated in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province. It is the biggest man-made structure in South Africa. Kimberley was known for diamonds and that is the reason we have the Big Hole, it was the biggest mining activity in South Africa

This mining activity happended some 120 years ago and today the Big Hole is a Tourist attraction in Kimberley.

The Kimberley Mine site started on or about 16 July 1871 and by 14 August 1914 all mining activities ceased. By that time it had yielded 2 722 kilograms of diamonds extracted from 22,5 million tons of excavated earth. Today the Big Hole is surrounded by original old buildings from days gone by, relocated from their earlier sites to form a magnificent open air museum.