Newman Western Australia
A mining town with an attractive centre in the heart of the Hamersley Ranges. The town serves the two mines at Mount Whaleback and Orebody 29. Mt Whaleback is now the largest open-cut iron ore mine in the world.
At a Glance
The surrounding landscape is very picturesque with the blue, green and red colours of the outback. Also the gateway to some of Australia's best outback 4WD tracks.
Where is Newman?
Newman is 1186 kilometres north-east of Perth.
Newman is an inland town situated in the northern area of Australia's Golden Outback tourist region. Newman is nestled between Mt Newman and Mt Whaleback, surrounded by rugged terrain near Karijini National Park in a remote area of true Australian Outback. One of the best ways to get to Newman is hiring a car from Perth Airport, or flying to the Newman airport.
Things to see in Newman
Karijini National Park
North of Newman there are some beautiful gorges. Journey to Fern's Pool in Dales Gorge, filled with emerald coloured water and fed by a tyrant of waterfalls. Climb to the top of Mount Bruce, where you can get a birds eye view of the rugged and mysterious landscape that surrounds you.
Image © Tourism Western Australia
BHP Mount Whaleback Iron Ore Mine
Discovered in 1957, Mount Whaleback is the world's largest open cut iron ore mine, producing some of the highest quality iron ore ever found. Mining tours showscase mining technology at the cutting edge. Great views of the surrounds at nearby Radio Hill Lookout can be seen.
Outback Waterholes
Six local, beautiful waterholes include Kalgan's Pool, Eagle Rock Falls, Wunna Munna, Three Pools, Silent Gorge and Weeli Wolli. Some of these pools are fed by natural spring water and others with flowing waterfalls. An abundance of native Australian wildlife inhabit these waterholes.
Rugged Terrain
Newman is the gateway to some of the most adventurous 4WD country in outback Australia with its close proximity to the Rundall River National Park. The Hammersley Ranges create spectacular undulations and rocky outcrops. The rolling red granite hills are beautiful at sunset.
Image © Tourism Western Australia
What's the weather like?
With an arid climate, typical of the Australian outback, Newman experiences extremely high day temperatures in the summer yet very cold nights. Between January and April, the town receives much of the annual rainfall which greens the landscape and fills waterholes for the next few months. In Summer (December to February), the average maximum temperature is 45°C with an average minimum temperature of 30°C. In Winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 22°C with an average minimum temperature of 4°C.
Tropical Cyclones are a prevalent part of this region between December and April. It is essential that you understand the steps and the procedures in place for Tropical Cyclones when entering this beautiful part of the world.
Get to know Newman's history
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The first European into the area was Francis Gregory who travelled though the area to the north of present-day Newman in 1861 and observed the obvious iron ore deposits which coloured the mountain ranges. In 1896 Aubrey Woodward Newman planned to lead a party into the area. Newman died from typhoid before the journey began but the new commander, William Rudell, honoured his departed leader by naming the highest mountain in the Ophthalmia Range, Mount Newman and is where the town of Newman acquired its name. Between 1967 and 1969 the American company Bechtel Pacific turned this lonely piece of desert into Australia's most productive iron ore mine. In those two years the biggest open-cut iron ore mine in Australia was established, the town of Newman was built, the longest privately owned railway (426 km from Newman to Port Hedland) in the world was constructed, and the port facilities at Port Hedland were upgraded to handle 16 000 tonnes of iron ore per hour. In 1975 the mining company, aware of the inhospitable nature of the terrain, planted 60 000 trees and shrubs in order to make the town less like a desert outpost. |