Newman

History

Newman was established as Mount Newman by Mt. Newman Mining Co. Pty Ltd (a subsidiary of BHP) in 1966 as a company town to support the development of iron ore deposits at nearby Mount Whaleback. The town takes its name from nearby Mount Newman, named in honour of government surveyor Aubrey Woodward Newman (son of Edward Newman who also died young) who died of typhoid aged 28 at Cue on 24 May 1896, while on an expedition from Nannine to the Ophthalmia Range. William Frederick Rudall then took charge of the expedition and named Mount Newman to honour his deceased leader. Aboriginal occupation of the area goes back around 45,000 years. The Martu people comprise about a dozen language groups that extend across the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts. The Martu progressively lost their land and nomadic lifestyle as European expansion crept inland from the late 19th century. Western exploration, the establishment of Christian missions, and gold discoveries at Marble Bar and Wiluna led to Indigenous people being forced from their ancestral lands. In a 2002 memoir, British businessman Alistair McAlpine (1942–2014) described passing through the town on his way to view wildflowers at Collier Range National Park: "On to Newman, a most unlikely town. Just as King's Park is a chunk of wilderness in the city, so Newman is a chunk of suburbia in the wilderness, almost the same size. They could be exchanged and nobody would suspect a thing."

Most-observed species

• Zebra Finch

  Taeniopygia guttata (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  311
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  287
• Whistling Kite

  Haliastur sphenurus (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  286
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  273
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  248
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  209
• Rainbow Bee-eater

  Merops ornatus Latham, 1801 · Aves
  194
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  176

Most recent

• M 4.4 — 2021-06-07
  78 km S of Nullagine, Australia
• M 4.7 — 2011-05-20
  42 km WSW of Newman, Australia
• M 3.7 — 2002-02-06
  93 km ENE of Newman, Australia