Environment - Places

Augrabies & the surrounding areas | Flora & Fauna |
Environment

Augrabies Falls National Park

This is where the mighty Orange River thunders its way downward through a ravine cut through ancient granite. These majestic falls derived their name from the Hottentot word 'Aukoerebies',appropriately meaning 'the place for the big noise'.

Here, the Orange River plunges 148m in one leap and cascades a further 43m to constitute the fifth highest waterfall in the world. From April to December the river is low and there is a clear view of the grandeur of the gorge which the Orange River has excavated for a distance of 18 km over a period of millions of years.

An arid but hauntingly beautiful piece of land that makes for excellent photography. The area around the falls offers protection to over 15 415 hectares of unique riverine landscape, characteristics of this arid region.

Springbok, klipspringer, eland, giraffe and black rhino are some of the mammals which can be seen. This Park's fame facilities includes an à la carte restaurant, ladies bar, many swimmming pools and shopping complex.

Moffats Mission - Kuruman

Dr Robert Moffat, Scottish missionary and his wife, Mary, arrived in Kuruman from Scotland in 1820. Moffat translated the first bible into Tswana and printed it on his own press.

The Moffat Church was completed in 1838 and was for years the largest building in the Northern Cape. The marriage of their daughter, Mary, to explorer David Livingstone took place in this church.

Eye of Kuruman

The source of the Kuruman River, yields 20 million litres of clear, fresh water a day and is one of the most remarkable dolomite springs in South Africa. It gushes from the rocks into a crystal clear pool teeming with fat fish.

Kalahari Oranje Museum - Upington

Built in 1875 as a church and mission station by The Reverend Schroder. The museum is home to the life-sized monument of the donkey, sculptured in bronze. It symbolises the unselfish contribution made by the donkey in developing the Lower Orange River Valley during the pioneer days.

Date Palm Avenue - Upington

It is the longest (1041m) avenue of Date Palms in the world, on an island in the middle of the Orange River, consisting of over 200 trees planted 9m apart.

Orange River Wine Co-operative

This five cellar co-operative is the second largest in the southern hemisphere. The cellar presents the visitor with a unique range of natural and fortified wines.

Operational Water Wheels - Kakamas

There are still nine old Water wheels, used to irrigate the vineyards from canals, in constant use.

Hand-Built Irrigation Tunnels - Kakamas

These tunnels were built in 1898-1901. There are 2 tunnels: 3-4m wide, 2,5m high and 97 & 127m long. These diameters are astounding considering that they were dug by hand.

Graves and Memorial to German Soldiers - Kakamas

These are in remembrance of a gruesome battle fought near Kakamas on the 4 February 1915 with the Union Defence Force. Six out of the seven graves that were found were re-buried at the foot of the hill.

Old Fort - Prieska

The Fort used during the Second War of Independence (Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902) is on a hill which provides a panoramic view of the town, the Doornberg range, the Orange River and the farms irrigated by a pumping system in the Orange River.

Open Mine Museum - Kimberley

This museum features the 'Big Hole', the largest man-made excavation in the world, once part of the Old Kimberley Mine, and originally called Colesberg Koppie.

In 1871 diamonds were found on the hill which was literally hollowed out by hand in search of diamonds. The Big Hole has a circumference of 1,6km and covers an area of 17ha. It is about 1 000m deep. Nearly 22,5 million tons of diamond-bearing 'blue-ground' were removed from the mine and yielded 2 722kg of diamonds, worth R94 million. The Old Kimberley Mine stopped working in 1914.

Beside the mine is a museum where the streets of Victorian Kimberley have been reconstructed. Here one finds the oldest house in Kimberley, brought to the diamond fields by ox wagon; a blacksmith's forge; Barney Barnato's Boxing Academy; the firts Lutheran Church and a liquor saloon.

The visitor can wander through the buildings and imagine what life was like in the days of the diamond boom. There is a diamond exhibit at the museum which usually includes a display of a day's diamond takings.