Day 13 Luderitz

Luderitz is a remote town that has hardly been touched by modern times. It’s in a pretty desolate location sandwiched between the Namib desert and the Atlantic. It’s hundreds of miles from any substantial town - the main road into here is blasted by desert sand and the wind blows pretty much all the time. So why is this place on the map? Diamonds - that’s why and truckloads of them in the early 1900s
This was just a tiny trading and fishing port until 1908 when diamonds were found literally in the sand.
In the 1920 the mines here were supplying 80% of the worlds diamonds. A decade later and much better and bigger diamond fields were discovered further south so the mining town of Kolmanskop - just outside of Luderitz became surplus to requirements and by 1956 the last occupants left and it became a ghost town and the desert took over. A very interesting place to visit - it had its own concert hall, bowling alley, railway, ice making facility, school and hospital.
Here’s some pics

It’s the crayfish festival in town so lots of activities down by the waterfront including a marching band