The sights during the original diamond rush of up to 3 000 miners working 3 600 claims have long gone but memories of the Kimberley tent-town’s glory days still linger.

Many old buildings, museums and one of South Africa’s most important art galleries lend an historic ambience to the modern city. A partial reconstruction of the original ‘rush town’ alongside the incredible Big Hole, the largest hand-dug excavation in the world, still offer visitors insight into the lives of those early adventurers. Today prospectors still sift for treasure at their claims in the gravels of the Vaal River near Delportshoop, site of the first alluvial diggings in 1869.

During the Anglo-Boer War, Kimberley and the British Army were besieged by the Boers for four months. Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen’s struggle to reach Kimberley from Orange River Station just 120 km south of the town is an epic story of courage. One of several conflicts on Methuen’s northerly march, the Battle of Magersfontein ranks as one of the Boers’ greatest victories.

The town was finally relieved by General John French’s cavalry on 15 February 1900. But Kimberley’s diamond story and the siege are parts of only the most recent history here. A rich archeological heritage, including sunning examples of ancient rock engravings, reflects a past that reaches back to the very origins of humankind.