Removing and processing the weathered kimberlite or "yellow ground" had been relatively simple to do by hand using picks, shovels etc.

Once hitting "blue ground" or unweathered kimberlite individual mining became more difficult, slower and less profitable due to encountering harder and harder rock.

Wealthy miners began buying up the claims from despondent individual and small operations around them and one or two large consolidated mining companies began to emerge.

With all the "rats and mice" miners out of the way mechanization could begin in earnest.

Dynamite was used on the hard rock and shaft were sunk next to the pipe to begin mining the pipe from the side and below.

Large headgear hoist were set up to hoist broken rock from below.

The rocks were loaded by hand into cocopans (small iron wagons that run on rails) seen below painted green.

Each cocopan holds about a ton of broken rock.

The vertical down shaft was sunk a safe distance from the main hole but close enough to limit the railing and transport required underground.

Some of the other mine buildings and other paraphernalia have been restored and preserved as part of the exhibit.

From this angle you can get a good view of the suspension apparatus installed for viewing the big hole.

Old steam rock crushers and other steam driven equipment is also on display.

The Big Hole: Becoming Mechanised