KIMBERLEY

1609

OVERVIEW

Kimberley was the initial hub of industrialisation in South Africa in the late 19th century, which transformed the country’s agrarian economy into one more dependent on its mineral wealth. It’s probably fair to say that the city is best known for its diamond mining beginnings and the tangible legacy of that time – Kimberley’s ‘Big Hole’. It was once a small hill known as the Colesberg Kopje, but as prospectors searched for diamonds, the mound was levelled and then excavated.

From 1871 to 1914, 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kilograms of diamonds and enlarging the surface area. Although mining still plays an important role in the region, the economy has diversified somewhat. Key sectors today include agriculture; wine production, with grapes grown along the Orange and Vaal Rivers; banking and financial services; and tourism, which is contributing to the growth of Kimberley and the Northern Cape. In that regard, Kimberley likes to project itself as a significant tourist destination, boasting a diversity of museums and visitor attractions. It is also a gateway to other Northern Cape destinations including the Mokala National Park, nature reserves and numerous game farms or hunting lodges, as well as historic sites of the region.

AIRPORT

Situated about six kilometres south of the city, Kimberley Airport, the site of about

15,500 air-traffic movements a year, handles about 132,000 passengers annually, about three-quarters of whom are business travellers. Three airlines service Kimberley for passenger travel – Airlink, SAA and SA Express. Airlink offers 22 weekly flights from Cape Town and 10 from Johannesburg, while SA Express makes 27 weekly flights from Johannesburg. SAA also has numerous flights from both Cape Town and Johannesburg, but times vary by day and date, so it’s hard to get an accurate count. The airport is small, but does offer five car rental desks, a pub and a VIP lounge, which can be booked through the information desk.

HOTELS

Two South African brands are present in Kimberley – City Lodge and Tsogo Sun – with Marriot t the sole international group with its Protea Hotel by Marriott brand. All of which leaves plenty of room for independent establishments. If you’re keen on a brand, you have the choice of City Lodge’s one star Road Lodge, Tsogo Sun’s budget SUN1 or the group’s mid-market Garden Court, or Marriott ’s Protea Hotel Kimberley. The four-star Protea property is situated right on the edge of the Big Hole and offers great views and state-of-the-art conferencing facilities. Looking at some of the independent properties, there’s the Kimberley Anne with 16 rooms, tech-savvy conference and meeting venues, a fine-dining restaurant and sundowner deck. Carters Rest provides 15 self-catering and semi-self-catering units situated on almost one hectare of land, within walking distance of the nearest shopping centre and two kilometres from the North Cape Mall. Hillcrest Guesthouse offers nine en-suite rooms, a conference facility that caters for 25 people, and wi-fi. At Kimberley Manor Guesthouse, all seven rooms are equipped with lounge areas, en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning, flat screen TVs with DStv, fridges and tea trays. English or Continental breakfast is served in the dining room.

The eight rooms at Cecil John Rhodes Guesthouse can accommodate 18 people and is close to the city’s business centre, shopping malls, art galleries, theatre and private hospitals. There’s also an onsite tea garden for light meals. For something out of the ordinary, Diggies Lodge offers rustic accommodation less than five kilometres from Kimberley Airport and less than three kilometres from the Diamond Pavilion Shopping Mall. Keeping with the tradition of Kimberley’s history and ties with diamond mining, Diggies Lodge was built around the historical diggings and this is captured in the decor and design of the property. The solid wood and thatched roof of the lodge blend with the Northern Cape vegetation. All rooms are equipped with unlimited wi-fi, tea trays, flat screen LED TVs, a full DStv hotel bouquet and ceiling fans. Or you could opt to stay over in the Old Town at the Big Hole and experience the city as it was 100 years ago at the New Rush Guesthouse. It consists of five different buildings in the same street on the premises of the Big Hole Complex, namely The Hut (two rooms), The Digger’s Cottage (two rooms), The Four C’s (four rooms), The Craven Hotel (four rooms), the Eureka room and the 616 room. The guesthouse has its own private, secure, covered parking inside the complex with 24-hour security.

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