The Big Hole: A Quick Tour Down Memory Lane

Join us as we go for a quick tour of the Big Hole Diamond Mine Museum in Kimberley. We have a look at some of the old buildings of the town, that have been re-erected on the premises, as well as an old tram and railway car. We explore some of the easter eggs that have been so thoughtfully incorporated into the design of the museum when it underwent an extensive revamp in 2002. Starting right at the entrance, we can see three elements in the logo. While it is clear for all to see, that it is a diamond, the flat top of the diamond also represents the flat-topped hill that existed here before diamonds were discovered. The diamond is obviously under the flat top of the hill and the bottom point of the diamond represents the hole that resulted from the mining. In the entrance hall there are cocopan chassis’ that were fitted with planks to form benches for visitors to sit on. There is also a ramp that goes from the entrance hall, and is suspended over the edge of the hole. While part of the ramp rests on columns, the part over the hole is suspended from cables that run over a single tower. These cables running over the tower represent the cables that run from the hoist drum and over the wheels of the head frame, with the mining cages/skips hanging from the bottom of them. At the end of the ramp is a square, which has sides measuring 31 feet each (old Imperial measurements were still in play in South Africa at the time) or 9,4 metres. This square was the exact size of a claim here at the mine. So each one who was able to stake a claim could dig straight down within that square space. This was problematic, as not all operations moved at the same speed, so you got all these different heights with the result being that many claims collapsed on top of those who had gotten further along. Several thousand people were killed here in the hole and many also died from diseases that came up because of the conditions in which they found themselves. I am not sure how to adequately portray the demographics that were at play in the mine deaths, except to say that it was extremely sad and that those demographics are still at play in mines today, albeit with much greater levels of safety. There is also a mine experience that gives one some idea of what it is like down in a mine. There is a lift that was kitted out with lights and speakers, to help give a realistic experience of what it was like to go down in a mine cage. It was inoperable unfortunately and has been since the pandemic. The “mine” itself is also very realistic. It is simply part of the basement, so no real underground stuff and therefore no need to go in search of any claustrophobia that might be lurking inside of you. Lastly, there is the vault with its treasure of diamonds. There are lots of diamonds of different colour and weight gradings. The Eureka Diamond is also kept in the vault. Thank you for viewing, commenting, subscribing and liking the video and in so doing contributing to making the channel grow. It is much appreciated. Tada. Craig Music: artlist.io Naama Zafran – Earth Livingrooms - Diamonds Roie Shpigler - Playing with Light