Mortymoose's Backyard!

[Mortymoose]

Did you sleep over in one of the abandoned houses?

Yes! We did, but I will get to that...

Ok, Before hitting Pomona, we stopped at an old railway shed.

Now the Germans had the entire mining area all linked up with a railway system. The railway line, as you can see, was raised above the surrounding sand, . The spot in the pics is about 8km North of Pomona. There was a railway shed here. You can still see the rolling stock.

On the one snap you can see a pile of metal sleepers made into a heap. This metal was destined for Germany at the outbreak of the 1st World War, to help in their effort, but the South African forces got here before shipment could be done...

 

[Cius]

Awesome. Love Namibia and the scenery and some very nice photo's. When I was last in Swakopmund I went on a desert tour with a local guide who showed us how things have adapted to live there and it was the most fascinating tour I have ever been on.

 

[Mortymoose]

Here are a few historical images of the railways in action in the desert....

I have also included an historical snap of the South African Union forces arriving in Luderitz, the harbour town north of Pomona.

 

[Nicci]

WOW!!! Please do continue - very fascinating and stunning pictures!!!

 

[Mortymoose]

What does where you live look like?

I took this photo of our town last year when I got to go for a ride with a few mates of mine in a helicopter.

The image is looking from west to east.....

 

[Mortymoose]

You can make out the Orange River at one o'clock on the snap!

 

[IzZzy]

Wow! You can jog past the entire town every day

Is there even any need for cars?

 

[Pooky]

I took this photo of our town last year when I got to go for a ride with a few mates of mine in a helicopter.

The image is looking from west to east.....

View attachment 83675

WOW! It's surrounded by nothingness

 

[Mortymoose]

Ok! Finished with the historical photo's, let's get back to Pomona...

Below are just a few images of the now abandoned structures at Pomona.....

 

[Rickster]

But do you get ADSL?

 

[IzZzy]

But do you get ADSL?

They just got rid of the pigeons.

 

[Mortymoose]

Wow! You can jog past the entire town every day

Is there even any need for cars?

The town is approx 3km x 2.5km and is privately owned by Anglo American/De Beers and it's sole purpose since 1936 is to support the diamond mining activities.....

No Private cars were allowed in our town until 1975, when the town "opened"

Heck! we even have taxi's now..... but for a number of decades the mine had four bus routes that were free, you could hop onto a bus anywhere in town every 15 minutes....

 

[Mortymoose]

They just got rid of the pigeons.

You jest, but pigeons are a big No No up here, the criminal elements use them to fly diamonds over the fences...

 

[IzZzy]

The town is approx 3km x 2.5km and is privately owned by Anglo American/De Beers and it's sole purpose since 1936 is to support the diamond mining activities.....

No Private cars were allowed in our town until 1975, when the town "opened"

Heck! we even have taxi's now..... but for a number of decades the mine had four bus routes that were free, you could hop onto a bus anywhere in town every 15 minutes....

Ah, small mining town. I had the pleasure to fly to Hotazel for trade union negotiations for the mining company that owns that town. Man, big city life has spoiled me.

You jest, but pigeons are a big No No up here, the criminal elements use them to fly diamonds over the fences...

Whaaat! So are all pigeons shot?

This thread is really cool, I was looking at spending a few days in Namibia - particularly the skeleton coast.

Okay, back to pictures!

 

[Mortymoose]

All in all, I found Pomona to be a depressing place, but exciting at the same time... to wonder where had all the people gone to? how many had become wealthy here and who are the poor souls forever lying under the whistling sands?



But there was more to follow.... because soon we would head south and out of Pomona to a second abandoned diamond mining camp, Stauchslager........

 

[shadow_man]

Very cool. I've been meaning to go to Namibia for a while (never been).

What are costs like for a holiday up that way? I'd quite like to see the abandoned buildings being reclaimed by the desert etc.

 

[Mortymoose]

Here's a quick aerial snap of my town's cbd, I am in the rather large building on the top left....

 

[Keegan]

WOW WOW WOW Mortymoose!!! You lucky bugger!

Absolutely stunning!!

 

[Mortymoose]

Stauchslager, not really mining town, but a valley with a dark past.... plenty of diamonds were mined here, but the labour force were virtually slaves...

Son't worry , those chimneys are not Nazi ovens, but the remains of the kitchen cooking meals for the men based out here....

See those cement slabs that look like pig pens? Well that's were the labourers slept at night, each chap to a hole...

See the rusted pipe , well, the Germans made the labourers **** on the pipe, to check if they had swallowed any diamonds...

I think that this must have been quite a disturbing place back in 1909....

 

[Mortymoose]

After Stauchslager , Oh! before I forget, the first official chap to pick up a diamond in 1908, was a railway worker called Zacharias Lawela. He found this stone outside of Luderitz whilst cleaning the German railway line..... His supervisor at the time was a chap called August Stauch, who went onto becoming a major player in the exploitation in the years to follow....

Anyhow after leaving Stauchslager, We headed south again on a salty cracked up track, often intersecting the old rail track between Pomona and Bogenfels......

The photo's below, were taken in the afternoon and just give you an idea of the landscape and it's harshness... the last pic is taken at a cave on the beach just north of the Bogenfels Arch! The thing to bear in mind, there is nobody else out here, you are driving through an area that has been off limits to Joe public for the last 100 years...