Newman, Western Australia

Newman, Western Australia
Newman
Western Australia
Newman location map in Western Australia.PNG
Location of Newman in Western Australia (red)
Population: 8,000[1]
Established: 1960s
Postcode: 6753
Elevation: 544 m (1,785 ft) [2]
Location:
LGA: Shire of East Pilbara
State District: Pilbara
Federal Division: Durack
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
32.1 °C
90 °F
17.3 °C
63 °F
312.0 mm
12.3 in

Coordinates: 23°21′14″S 119°43′55″E / 23.354°S 119.732°E / -23.354; 119.732

Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway. With a population at the 2006 census of 4,245,[1] it is a modern mining town with suburban-style homes providing a stark contrast to the surrounding reddish arid desert area.

The Hickman Crater sits 35 km to the north.

Contents

History

Despite the "white settlers/invaders' lack of knowledge, interest and empathy for the Aboriginal (First Nations/ Indigenous)people who have lived here for more than 10,000 years (possibly 50,000) there exists today a thriving and challenged Aboriginal community. Newman was first set up as white only town and hence developed a negative image as a racist centre of intolerance. Aboriginal people were refused entry to the town facilities from its early days and this only changed in the 1990's. Today many positive signs of fair play, opportunity and tolerance do exist today. There remains much work to be done as the mining giant here makes massive profits from the local land.

Mount Newman just outside the town of Newman

Originally marginal cattle country, Newman was built in the 1960s by the Mount Newman Mining Company, with the discovery of rich iron deposits on nearby Mount Whaleback. The discovery marked the start of the resource boom in Western Australia in the 1970s. The town takes its name from nearby Mount Newman, named in honour of A.W. Newman, an early explorer who died of typhoid just before reaching the area in 1896.

Commercial area

Typical of company towns, Newman is laid out with a core, where shopping and hotels are located, surrounded by residential areas, with more industrial activities on the outskirts. There is one shopping mall in the town, two shopping plazas, three hotels, and three bars/restaurants outside of those contained in the hotels. One public outdoor pool serves the town's population.

Newman residential area

Transport

Iron deposits

A privately-owned railway, the Mount Newman railway, was constructed linking it to Port Hedland which itself was upgraded to handle shipment of the ore to the world market. On 21 June 2001 a train 7.353 km (4.569 mi) long, comprising 682 ore cars and eight locomotives made the Newman—Port Hedland trip and is listed as the world's longest train ever .[4][5]

The ore trains are typically over 2 km long. Newman is also a service town to the nearby mining settlements like Tom Price and Paraburdoo.

The town is served by Newman Airport.

Architecture

Being founded in the 1960s, Newman's architecture reflects the modernist styles of that decade and the next, being predominantly functional and devoid of detail or embellishment. As the town was founded and built by a steel company, the majority of buildings use a steel frame construction. This applies to the suburban style homes themselves, most of them being two prefabricated halves inserted together into a steel I-section frame, the columns of which are left exposed on the exterior of the home. This construction method serves not only to showcase the company's product, but also gives strong resistance to cyclone winds which can affect the region from time to time. For this same reason, most houses are elevated from the ground by a few steps. Many houses also have large air-conditioning units situated next to them to provide adequate cooling against the very hot summer temperatures.

Climate

Newman has an arid climate, with very hot summers and mild winters. The average summer high temperature is one the hottest of any areas in Australia and approaches those of cities such as Riyadh and Baghdad. The temperature reaches or exceeds over 38°C almost everyday in the summer. On January 15, 1998, the temperature reached an all-time recorded high of 47.0°C.

Precipitation is sparse, but the influx of monsoonal moisture in the summer, which generally begins in December and lasts until March, raises humidity levels and can cause heavy precipitation. Winter months are mild to warm, with daily high temperatures ranging from the 20°C to 26°C (18-22°C), and low (nighttime) temperatures rarely dipping below 6°C.

Climate data for Newman
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 47.0
(116.6)
46.0
(114.8)
43.3
(109.9)
40.4
(104.7)
35.2
(95.4)
33.0
(91.4)
31.0
(87.8)
34.1
(93.4)
38.0
(100.4)
42.9
(109.2)
43.9
(111.0)
45.0
(113.0)
47.0
(116.6)
Average high °C (°F) 39.5
(103.1)
37.2
(99.0)
35.8
(96.4)
31.6
(88.9)
27.3
(81.1)
22.9
(73.2)
23.0
(73.4)
25.8
(78.4)
30.5
(86.9)
35.0
(95.0)
37.4
(99.3)
38.9
(102.0)
32.1
Average low °C (°F) 25.3
(77.5)
24.4
(75.9)
22.4
(72.3)
18.4
(65.1)
13.0
(55.4)
9.6
(49.3)
8.1
(46.6)
10.1
(50.2)
13.7
(56.7)
17.9
(64.2)
21.4
(70.5)
23.9
(75.0)
17.3
Record low °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0)
17.0
(62.6)
9.0
(48.2)
6.0
(42.8)
1.0
(33.8)
−1.1
(30.0)
−2
(28.4)
−2
(28.4)
1.0
(33.8)
6.0
(42.8)
11.8
(53.2)
15.2
(59.4)
−2
(28.4)
Precipitation mm (inches) 57.2
(2.252)
78.9
(3.106)
41.7
(1.642)
18.4
(0.724)
18.5
(0.728)
14.6
(0.575)
15.1
(0.594)
7.7
(0.303)
3.4
(0.134)
4.7
(0.185)
10.5
(0.413)
37.4
(1.472)
312.0
(12.283)
Source: [6]

[7]

See also

References

Further reading

  • Austin, Noel (1999) The Newman story, 1967-1969. Publication details not known - held at Battye library, Perth, Western Australia
  • DuBois, Lesley et al. (1994) Moving a mountain: an historic illustrated and photographic study of the town of Newman. Perth, Western Australia: L. DuBois
  • Eckhart, Peter (1996) Whaleback tales. Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian Press. ISBN 0859052303

External links


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