Newman, Western Australia
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| Newman Western Australia |
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 Location of Newman in Western Australia (red) |
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| Population: | 5,139 [1] | ||||||
| Established: | 1960s | ||||||
| Postcode: | 6753 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 544 m (1,785 ft) [2] | ||||||
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Shire of East Pilbara | ||||||
| State District: | Murchison-Eyre | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Kalgoorlie | ||||||
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Newman, located about 1,120 km northeast 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 5,139 [1], it is a modern mining town with leafy suburban-style homes providing a stark contrast to the surrounding reddish arid desert area.
Originally marginal cattle country, Newman was built in the 1960s by the Mt Newman Mining Company, with the discovery of rich iron deposits on nearby Mt Whaleback. The discovery marked the start of the resource boom in Western Australia in the 1970s.
The town takes its name from nearby Mt Newman, named in honour of A.W. Newman, an early explorer who died of typhoid just before reaching the area in 1896.
A privately-owned 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 (4.568 miles) long, comprising 682 ore cars and eight locomotives made the Newman--Port Hedland trip and is listed as the world's longest train ever [1]. 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.
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.
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[edit] Architecture
Being founded in the 1960s, Newman's architecture reflects the modern 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.
[edit] Transport
The town is served by Newman Airport.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Newman (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.
- ^ Bureau of Meteorology
[edit] See also
[edit] 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
