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: | 8,000[1] | ||||||
| Established: | 1960s | ||||||
| Postcode: | 6753 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 544 m (1,785 ft) [2] | ||||||
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Shire of East Pilbara | ||||||
| State electorate: | Pilbara | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Durack | ||||||
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Coordinates: 23°21′14″S 119°43′55″E / 23.354°S 119.732°E
Newman is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is located about 1,186 kilometres (737 mi) north of Perth, and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of the Tropic of Capricorn. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway. In the 2006 Australian census, its population was 4,245.[1] Newman is a modern mining town, with suburban-style homes contrasting with the surrounding reddish desert.
The Hickman Crater is 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Newman.
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[edit] History
Newman sits on what was originally regarded as marginal cattle country. It was built in the 1960s by the Mount Newman Mining Company, following 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Transport
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 every day 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 (89.8) |
| 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 (63.1) |
| 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] | |||||||||||||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Newman (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL520800&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ Bureau of Meteorology
- ^ "Great Circle Distance between NEWMAN and MEEKATHARRA". Geoscience Australia. http://www.ga.gov.au/bin/distancedraw2?rec1=274255&placename=meekat&placetype=0&state=WA+&place1=NEWMAN&place1long=119.226936&place1lat=-23.013330. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ Hamersley Freight Line, Australia railway-technology.com, accessed: 4 November 2010
- ^ BHP breaks its own heaviest train record Railway Gazette International, published: 1 August 2001, accessed: 5 November 2010
- ^ "BOM". http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_007176_All.shtml.
- ^ "BOM 2". http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_007151_All.shtml.
[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
[edit] External links
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