… Last week it was revealed the Ellendale diamond mine would close while Kimberley Diamonds moved their operations to Africa, however The West Australian revealed the company still owed the state government about $750,000 on their March quarter royalty payments of five per cent. The discovery led to a diamond rush, with people from various parts of South Africa intruding on their land in the hope of finding their very own diamonds. Mining commenced at the E9 pit in 2002 and at the E4 pit in 2006. The company already holds mining and exploration leases over 40 kilometres of diamond-bearing alluvial channels west of Ellendale, where trial mining was set to begin this year, once financing was complete. Life-size replicas of the famous diamonds that have adorned royalty, the rich and the famous are also on display. Established in 1908, Australian Mining continues to lead and inform the Australian mining industry of the latest innovations in mining technology and equipment. Diamonds in South Africa have a history of almost 150 years, and their discovery in Kimberley made them readily available to the Western World. "It's not just the mines [impacted], there's a whole bunch of diamond sorters, valuers and other groups of people … that's their livelihoods as well. INCLUDING MAJOR EVENTS 1867 Diamonds are discovered in the Cape Colony – now the Northern Cape – when 15-year-old Erasmus Jacobs finds a transparent rock on his father’s farm. RMX to commence gold drilling within 10 days, METS Ignited backs automation projects with $6m funding, Mount Gibson to deliver first iron ore at Shine next year, Claims of safety breaches by Kimberley Diamonds, Diamond miner reassessing Ellendale mine options. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Today, The Big Hole is a well-known tourist attraction. To keep up to date with Australian Mining, subscribe to our free email newsletters delivered straight to your inbox. Diamond History in Kimberley The history of diamonds is South Africa has its root in the Northern Cape and diamonds remain a legacy here, today. Mr Richards said it was a crucial time to support the diamond industry, which had experienced a global downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eureka diamond exchanged many hands before it was finally purchased by De Beers, who donated the Eureka to the people of South Africa. Race on to protect homes from rising floodwaters, Arrest made at banned Sydney rally protesting anti-transgender bill, If the Government's gamble doesn't pay off, we are all in a world of (even more) pain, One new case of coronavirus reported in Queensland, as virus detected in Townsville sewage, Brisbane Broncos to meet Sydney Roosters in NRLW grand final, Philippines captures Indonesian woman suspected of planning 'very imminent' suicide bomb attack, AFL suspends Adelaide Crows duo Brad Crouch, Tyson Stengle over drug possession, looming closure of Australia's largest producer of diamonds. Founded after the discovery of diamonds on farms in the area in 1869–71, the mining camp of Kimberley grew as a result of the intensive digging of the diamond-bearing pipe at the hill called Colesberg Koppie. Kimberley, city, diamond-mining centre, and capital of Northern Cape province, South Africa. 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 mine was dug by hand, and its pit has produced some of the largest diamonds in the world, and has made the De Beers famous all over the world. Kimberley announced last week it was shifting focus to the Lerala Mine in Botswana, and has arranged lending of $10 million to fund the operation.

It lies near the Free State province border.

They battled for stock, and in 1888 Rhodes triumphed and merged the holdings of all his diamond companies to form one of the world’s leading diamond mining groups called De Beers Consolidated Mines. The town made its way into history books not only because of its past with regards to diamond mining but also a siege at the time of the Second Boer War. Out of four instances of threats to forfeit their tenement over failure to pay royalties, Kimberley was forced to pay a fine only once, amounting to $3087. It was named the Eureka Diamond, and is the single most important diamond in the history of South Africa.

This map helps visitors to understand the facilities they can explore around The Big Hole. Mr Richards said his company had already started pegging leases at Ellendale and would need to conduct more exploration and consultation with Traditional Owners before operations could begin. Sandvik develops some of the world’s most advanced autonomous mining solutions at its Tampere test mine in Finland, including AutoMine Concept, which the company launched at its Innovation in Mining Virtual Event. Kimberley is the capital city of Northern Cape in South Africa, which can be found near the convergence of Vaal and Orange Rivers. He said the State Government's rate reduction would give the sector a boost, after successfully lobbying the Government for several years on this issue. Ellendale diamond mine owner Kimberley Diamonds has a history of failed royalty payments to the WA government. The proposal was killed off in October 2017, after being blocked by WA Liberals following strong backlash from mining companies and industry groups. Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Johnston said it was hoped the rate reduction from seven-and-a-half to five per cent, would help encourage a rejuvenation of diamond exploration in the Kimberley. A few years later, Johannes Nicolaas de Beer and his brother Diederik Arnoldus De Beer, two Dutch settlers, discovered diamonds on their farm. More than 22 million tonnes of earth was removed from what is now known as “The Big Hole” in Kimberley, and approximately three tonnes of diamonds were removed. The movie runs for about 17 minutes. To learn more please visit our Privacy Policy.

The reduction was recommended in a 2015 Government report, that all diamond miners pay a flat rate of five per cent. In late 2013 Kimberley failed to pay royalties after they received a refund of $12 million from the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF).

Kimberley Diamonds has demonstrated repeated late payments of royalties, with the miner faced with the prospect of losing their tenement four times in the past two years. From January 2009, a gross rate (ad valorem) of five per cent was also applied to Ellendale's diamond operations. Erasmus showed the stone to his father, who in turn showed it to a neighbourhood farmer, Schalk van Niekerk. Encounter Resources has started diamond drilling at its Aileron gold-copper joint venture project with Newcrest Mining in the West Arunta region of Western Australia. The first diamonds here were found by Alyrick Braswell on Colesberg Kopje by members of the "Red Cap Party" from Colesberg on the farm Vooruitzigt belonging to the De Beers brothers, in 1871. India Bore Diamond Holdings, who have been exploring on an adjacent pastoral lease, had also been invited to apply for other tenements at Ellendale. Meanwhile only 50 kilometres east of the mothballed mine, Lucapa Diamond Company recently put exploration at the Brooking Diamond Project on hold. When you visit Kimberley, you will be entertained by a movie that talks about the location and a brief history of the diamond mining industry in Africa.

A global miner hoping to revive the Kimberley diamond industry makes a significant discovery, only 50km east of an old mine that once produced half the world's rare fancy yellow diamonds. "This is simply reflecting the recommendations of the royalty rate review [and] the fact that to get a finished diamond requires quite a significant amount of processing.". Sandvik develops some of the world’s most advanced autonomous mining solutions at its Tampere test mine in Finland, including AutoMine Concept, which the company launched at its Innovation in Mining Virtual Event. Could China invade Taiwan under Xi Jinping's rule — and would they win? Encounter Resources has started diamond drilling at the Aileron gold-copper project in the West Arunta region of Western Australia – a joint venture between Encounter and Newcrest Mining.

Will Donald Trump still feel 'incredible' now he's off steroids? The Ellendale mine once produced 50 per cent of the world's supply of fancy yellow diamonds. In January this year the Department of Mines and Petroleum launched a forfeiture action over Kimberley’s failure to pay $200,000 in tenement rental for the Ellendale mining lease. It is currently on display at the Kimberly Mine Museum in South Africa. Subscribe for the national headlines of the day.

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