Southern Sky #1 - Puffy White Clouds - Northern Cape South Africa
In this very short video you will see the awesomeness that is the Southern Skies. This was taken in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, of South Africa. Kimberley is a smallish mining town. Kimberley became famous for it's Diamonds and of course the Open Mine, or more famously "The Big Hole" the largest man made hole in the world. This town was my birthplace.
"THE BIG HOLE" - Kimberley Open Mine - Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa.
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 carved out the largest hand-dug excavation in the world in search of the precious gemstones. In its time, the Big Hole yielded an incredible 2 722 kilograms of diamonds.
Today, the Big Hole and its surrounds have been converted into a museum and tourist attraction.
Visitors can go underground in a recreation of a mine shaft of the period and learn about the history of diamond mining in Kimberley, see historic memorabilia and buy diamonds slightly cheaper than usual. There is also a fascinating reconstruction of the ‘Old Town’ at the big hole that gives visitors an idea of what it was like to live there back in the town’s heydays of the late 1800s.
The Kimberley Mine, discovered 16 July 1871 by Fleetwood Rawstorne.
PL-Kimberley_Mine_Museum
Kimberley Mine Museum
Diamonds produced: 14 506 566 carats
Equivalent to: 2722kg
Ground Excavated: 22 500 000t
Depth of Hole: 215m
Depth from Surface to Water: 174m
Depth of Water: 41m
Original Depth of Open Cast Working: 240m
Original Depth of Underground Working: 1097m
Working Ceased: August 1914
In all my years on this earth, I have never come across a more beautiful sky, my opinion may be biased as it is the skies I grew up with. I remember these calming cloud formations as a child, and we used to play a game which entailed finding recognisable shapes of animals and "things". This game provided endless hours of fun and I think was instrumental in enhancing creativity, by forcing you to use your imagination.
I left the Northern Cape many years ago straight after school to study further, and I have since only been back home to visit. So these skies became a distant memory. Returning after being away for so long has reignited my love and passion for this beautiful site. It has made me appreciate the wonders and simplicity of this work of art.
When I drive across our beautiful country I now pay more attention and I tend to notice more vividly the changes in landscape as I pass from province to province, and I begin to realise just how lucky we are to have been born in, and is a part of this awesomely stunning land that is South Africa.
Appreciate and take in your local sites, as the beauty that they hold may be mundane to you, but is actually in no way mundane at all.
Stop for a moment, look to see, then feel, and appreciate your surroundings.
Stay blessed...
Shot on a Gopro Hero 6, 1080p 120fsp
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