Diamond Coast History and Heritage at Port Nolloth
The mysterious Diamond Coast, so much of it hidden for so long from the public, had its beginnings in Port Nolloth, where the first alluvial diamond was found. Learn the fascinating history of Port Nolloth and the Diamond Coast, from Port Nolloth’s beginnings as a port for the transportation of copper from the Copper Mountains surrounding Springbok (until the first diamond was found and everyone found themselves far too busy to worry about mere copper) to the process of diving for diamonds and the gung-ho lives of diamond divers to the stories surrounding the many shipwrecks along the unforgiving Diamond Coast. The Port Nolloth Museum is housed in a quaint and typical north west coast building with some old fishing boats in front of it – almost standard exterior decor in Port Nolloth.
The Biodiversity Museum looks similar from the outside, but the interior displays will take you into the dunes that support a surprising number and variety of fauna and flora.
The Diamond Coast has a unique and very fragile ecosystem that has paradoxically been saved the ravages of development by the diamond mining – or rather by the historical closing off of the most of the coastline to control diamond smuggling.
If you haven’t the time or the inclination to learn about the amazing life of the Namaqualand coastline on a hike, this is a good stop to get an overview of what lies beneath the first glance at the dunes of the Diamond Coast.
| More info on the quaint town of Port Nolloth | More info on the Namaqualand area |
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