December 2008 saw all visitor number records smashed as the Maropeng Visitor Centre recorded growth of 18% compared to the same period last year.

Sterkfontein Caves experienced a 24% increase in visitors, and the Maropeng Hotel occupancy rate increased by 11%.

Our website, www.maropeng.co.za, too, enjoyed a bumper month. Over 10 000 visits from 77 countries were recorded in a period that is traditionally slower for websites in South Africa.

We are very grateful to all the people who visited us last year, and who spoke positively about us to South Africans and people living overseas. Please keep it up! Thanks to you, we are able to welcome more and more people ”home“, to discover the origins of humankind and their past, and to take pride in our collective heritage. In so doing, we are able to create jobs, and help people realise that the differences between us are far fewer than the common binds that make us human.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origins of Species, Maropeng will be holding a poster display entitled Darwin, Origins and Africa, in conjunction with the Institute of Human Origins and the Origins Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Charles Darwin (1809-82) was the first person to articulate the theory of evolution. He argued the case for natural selection – that over time creatures which are able to adapt biologically to changes in their environments survive, while those that don’t adapt become extinct.

Darwin also argued that all species of life on Earth are inter-related and have a common ancestry, dating back to the earliest forms of life.

Evidence supporting this theory can be seen in hominid fossils from the Sterkfontein Caves and other sites in the Cradle of Humankind. These fossils show that our early hominid ancestors had human-like teeth and could walk on two legs, but that they also had several ape-like features, including small brains.

Darwin visited South Africa in 1836. Based on comparative anatomy studies, he predicted that Africa was the Cradle of Humankind. The subsequent fossil finds would prove this.

His theory of the evolution of species was controversial and was vehemently attacked, particularly by the Church, and it is only in the past 50 years or so that it has been widely accepted.

The Darwin, Origins and Africa display will run from February 12 to November 30 2009, and will be housed in the reception nave of Maropeng.

On Saturdays and Sundays in February, you can enjoy tea and cake for just R35 at the Darwin Café as you wander around the poster display, sharing in the celebration of this man’s genius and all he did for the world of science.

Contact Maropeng on 014 577 9000 or info@maropeng.co.za for more information, or visit www.maropeng.co.za.

Treat your sweetheart to a very special Valentine’s Day at Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

The Maropeng Hotel, with breathtaking views of the Witwatersberg and Magaliesberg ranges, is the epitome of luxury and the perfect location to woo your love on February 14 2009.

The Valentine’s Day accommodation special is R675 per person per night sharing. It includes bed and breakfast and a honeymoon turn-down consisting of a bottle of sparkling wine in the room and rose petals on the bed.

For an extra spoiling, treat yourselves to body massage treatments, available on request at an additional cost. Pre-booking is essential – contact 083 442 3868 to avoid disappointment.

Combine your stay at the hotel with a romantic three-course dinner at the Maropeng Hotel Restaurant. Enjoy breakfast on the terrace the next morning and soak up the best view in Gauteng.

This Valentine’s dinner special is R295 per adult and includes a three-course set menu, a bottle of sparkling wine and a rose for each lady.

For all enquiries regarding these Valentine’s Day specials, contact Sylvia on sylviam@maropeng.co.za or 014 577 9000 for more information.

Maropeng is pleased to announce the publication of the new Sterkfontein guide on our website.

The Sterkfontein online exhibition guide complements the displays in the visitor centre at the Sterkfontein Caves. The displays here focus on the geology of cave formation and how fossils are preserved and extracted, and on the amazing finds of hominid fossils in the Sterkfontein Caves, the Cradle of Humankind’s most famous fossil site.

Read about the formation of the Earth, the discovery of the Sterkfontein Caves, human evolution, and many more topics.

The information in the guide is mostly derived from the Sterkfontein Caves exhibition itself and is interesting to read, and scientifically accurate. Maropeng also allows readers to utilise it for educational and individual purposes with credit to Maropeng.

This guide is in addition to the existing Maropeng exhibition guide which is also available online.

Maropeng will be hosting monthly stargazing evenings this year with its resident astronomer, Vincent Nettmann.

Each stargazing event will cover a different aspect of the night skies.

The theme for February 14 is the International Year of Astronomy 2009, and stargazers will be taken on a journey of wonder and discovery through the stars. This month's event will be hosted by the Tumulus Restaurant and includes a buffet meal. Cost: R280 per adult, R95 per child.

2009 is a particularly good year to learn more about the night skies because it is the International Year of Astronomy, a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and Unesco to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the universe through the night sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.

Four hundred years ago in 1609, Galileo became the first modern-day scientist when he used a telescope to observe our starry night skies. From the moment the telescope was turned towards the heavens it has been an instrument that has shown us our origins and our fate. The International Year of Astronomy is a celebration of this event.

Join Maropeng's resident astronomer, Vincent Nettmann on an introductory tour of the universe, and discover how the telescope revolutionised science and astronomy.

On March 14, visitors will be able to explore Saturn – the second largest planet of the Solar System and one of the most visually recognisable planets due to the rings that encircle it. If visitors are lucky, they might spot one of the 60 known moons that orbit the planet. In March the luxurious Maropeng Hotel will play host to the stargazing dinner, offering a three course set menu at R295 per person.

The dates of the stargazing events for the rest of the year are as follows:

April 18 – Our deep southern skies
May 23 – You are here: A brief journey through the time and space of our universe
June 13 – Our winter skies
July 11 – Journey to the moon
August 22 – Explore the Milky Way
September 19 – Jupiter and Galileo
October 17 – Living amongst the stars
November 14 – An introduction to our summer skies

A range of large aperture telescopes will be available to guests. Make sure you dress warmly as these evenings can get very cold.

For all enquiries contact Sylvia on sylviam@maropeng.co.za or 014 577 9000 for more information. Read about these events and more on our calendar.

Maropeng is immensely proud of all our staff, and we want the world to know about the wonderful people in all our departments.

We have began collecting and publishing profiles of staff members on our website. The first featured staff member is Maropeng Curator Lindsay Marshall.

Below is an extract from the article:

”For so long we didn’t know how much we had to be proud of,“ says Lindsay Marshall, curator of Maropeng. ”Now we have the opportunity to highlight and showcase the richness of our palaeontological and archaeological heritage, and Maropeng provides the platform where we can get the public interested.“

Having joined Maropeng in May 2007 as exhibition curator and human resources manager, Lindsay says: ”This is the first time in 10 years that I have been able to do what I love, and Maropeng has provided that context for me.“

Read the full profile.

As a Unesco World Heritage Site, good signage to Maropeng is critical – and the existing signage is completely inadequate.

Maropeng has been inundated with complaints from people who either have not been able to find the visitors’ centre, or have wasted hours driving around looking for it.

Unfortunately, Maropeng is not able to rectify the signage issue of their own accord – it is up to the relevant provincial government authorities. We have requested additional signage through the official channels but have not had much joy. We have therefore started a petition which will be presented to the appropriate authorities.

In just over a week, we have already collected over 100 signatures. There is also space to leave a comment if you would like to share your own experience or opinion.

With 2010 less than a year away, it is critical that this problem is rectified as soon as possible. It would be very sad if international visitors were to miss out on Maropeng simply because it is difficult to find.

Please help us by signing our petition.

Every month, different subject matter from the exhibitions at Maropeng is featured in Minimag, a local educational children’s magazine.

The February feature is about mining and the important role it has played in the discovery of fossils. Aimed at children aged between 6 and 14, it teaches them that South Africa is a country rich in minerals such as gold, diamonds and coal, which are mined from great depths. Lying beneath the surface, however, is another treasure just as precious – fossils.

Through a brief outline of mining in South Africa, this feature explains how many of our archaeological discoveries are the result of the hard work (and luck) of miners.

Minimag is available at Woolworths nationwide.