Things to do in Kimberley, ZA
22 August 1873, The first recorded Jewish birth in Kimberley, Victor Rosettenstein. 22 August 1885, Lionel Phillips marries Florrie Ortlepp at All Saints Church, Beaconsfield. Pictured are both Lionel Phillips and Florrie Ortlepp.
Located in a transitional zone where by Karoo, grassland and Kalahari thornveld savannah meet, species diversity at Benfontein is a big attraction. Location About 10km south of Kimberley. Originally bought by De Beers in 1891 for its diamond reserves. Benfontein is today dedicated to the conservation of fauna and flora.
150 years ago, the site of the Big Hole was a featureless, flat-topped hill. When word spread that diamonds had been discovered, thousands of prospectors, armed with nothing more than picks, shovels and hope, descended on Kimberley and created the largest hand-dug excavation in the world.
Cecil John Rhodes on Horse - bronze statue After Cecil John Rhodes' death in 1902 the residents of Kimberley elected to erect a memorial in his honour. Unveiled in 1907, this 72-ton bronze statue is reputed to be one of the finest equestrian statues in the world.
1 June 1889, De Beers Consolidated Mines takes control of the Kimberley Mine. 1 June 1893, Anthony M Robeson appointed De Beers electrical engineer. 1 June 1896, A diamond weighing 503¼ carats found in the De Beers Mine. 1 June 1910, George Green leaves ...
About 10km outside Kimberley on the N12. The reserve has belonged to De Beers since 1888, but it was only proclaimed a nature reserve in 2004. Size 12 000 hectares Habitat Kimberley thornveld Birdlife Dronfield is home to a breeding colony of White-backed Vultures, which has been extensively researched for over 20 years.
The Duggan-Cronin Gallery is a photographic museum displaying the photographs of Alfred Duggan-Cronin, Aubrey Elliot, Jean Morris and Alice Mertens. This collection has been described as the most significant collection of Southern African ethnographic photography in the world.
The Honoured Dead Memorial is Part of the Kimberley Ghost Tour Heritage description in the 1986 Government Gazette: “Cecil John Rhodes commissioned Sir Herbert Baker to design a memorial…which commemorates those who fell during the Kimberley Siege.
Kimberley’s Kamfers Dam, once a home to the largest permanent population of lesser flamingos in Southern Africa, has virtually dried up with not a single flamingo ...
A trip to Kimberley would be incomplete without visiting the city’s main attraction, the Big Hole. Right in the middle of the city, this giant 215-metre deep crater serves as a reminder of the diamond rush of the 1870s, where prospectors ca
The Transport Museum is located at the Kimberley Railway Station. The Transport Museum showcases the development of the railways and transport systems of the area.
The McGregor Museum was originally located in Chapel Street, but was moved in the early 1970s to a larger building, the old Kimberley Sanatorium – the same building where Cecil John Rhodes held up during the Siege of Kimberley from 1899 – 1900. The fist curator of the museum was Ms Maria Wilman and in the forty years that she was in charge, she transformed it into one of the most important museums in South Africa.
Mokala National Park is situated between Hopetown and Kimberley South Africa. It is a relatively new San Park and fairly small but has wonderful accommodation options which include camping, lodges and...
The Gardens are a memorial to the late Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, diamond magnate and the first elected mayor of the municipality of the city of Kimberley when Beaconsfield and Kimberley were combined into a city in 1912. These Oppenheimer Gardens are a picturesque memorial to Sir Ernest Oppenheimer.
The Sol Plaatje House Museum hosts a library for African literature, with interesting displays on Sol Plaatje’s life. A founder member of the ANC, Plaatje would go on to become the party’s fist secretary general.
Kimberley was the first town in South Africa to establish 'locations' for housing non-white mine labourers on its outskirts. Galeshewe, the resulting township, rose significantly in importance during the struggle against Apartheid, and was second only to Soweto as a centre of political activism.
150 years ago, the site of the Big Hole was a featureless, flat-topped hill. When word spread that diamonds had been discovered, thousands of prospectors, armed with nothing more than picks, shovels and hope, descended on Kimberley and created the largest hand-dug excavation in the world.
29 March 1898, Kimberley’s old Town Hall (pictured) destroyed in a fire. 29 March 1902, De Beers Director Captain HM Penfold, RNR, dies. DID YOU KNOW Kimberley’s Town Hall on Old Main Street had burnt down on 29 March 1898, ...
The region bounded by the Vaal and Orange Rivers has a particularly concentrated distribution of engraving sites, of which Wildebeest Kuil (situated between Kimberley and Barkly West) is one. Rock art records. The earliest records of rock engravings at Wildebeest Kuil are the copies made by George William Stow who was on the Diamond Fields in the early 1870s.
The William Humhreys Art Gallery is the ideal venue for conferences, seminars, meetings and intimate concerts and has a variety of venues for hire. Please become a Friend of the Gallery (see our website for details) and be kept up to date with all the happenings at WHAG.