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About 15 km from Elizabeth Bay, in an area called Sperrgebiet, lies the ghost town of Pomona. Back in about 1910, when the diamond rush was in full swing in what was then known as German South West Africa, in the town of Pomona people were literally picking up diamonds off the ground. Diamonds in this town were plentiful and between 1912 and 1914 Pomona had the richest diamond mine renowned for producing over 1 000 000 carats!
In the 1860’s the British annexed several islands off the south western coast which led to traders and adventures coming to the area. It was two such men, Aaron de Pass and Captain John Spence that initially obtained mining rights on the coast. The result was the Pomona Mining Company. They were there to mine copper, lead and silver. Unbeknownst to them, they shovelled away many diamonds in search of the ore deposits.
It was not until April 1908 that the first diamond was discovered near to Grasplatz Station. The discovery was made by two men from the Royal Mining Academy in Berlin. After they found rich alluvial deposits, a mining establishment was formed. Originally it was called “Pomonapforte” and was at the entrance point to several valleys.
Today the area known as Sperrgebiet is a restricted area, so you will need a permit to enter this area and it is strictly forbidden to pick up anything. Before arriving in Pomona you will pass Grillenthal, which supplied over 600 km of water to the diamond towns. All that remains is an old pump station dating back to 1911. The area has surreal landscapes and guests can even visit a so-called moon landscape. The area appears spooky, with all the hills having markers on top of them. These were how they marked out for the diamond claims. Each claim was approximately 1200 by 1200 meters per person.
The diamond town of Pomona was established in 1912, built above the mine. This was home to about 500 people at the time and they not only built houses, but also bowling alleys, a house for the doctor, a school and of course a cemetery. During its heyday the town of Pomona extracted 100 kg of diamonds a year. By 1931 most of the diamonds had been extracted until eventually the town was abandoned.
On entering the now ghost town of Pomona, you will be greeted by the derelict buildings which were once a thriving town. Most of the houses were built in a villa style, but slowly over the years the desert sand has flooded through the windows and doors. The doors and window shutters have been left in tatters by the wind. The once beautiful wallpaper that was lovingly put on the walls, is now faded and slowly flaking off the walls. When taking a walk around town, you will be greeted by bits and scrapes of old rusted metal machinery. A visit to Pomona will fell like a journey into the past, where living conditions were harsh and working conditions difficult.