Newcastle

Sister cities

• Zibo
• Nanchang

History

Newcastle has changed names on numerous occasions during the country's historic rule. It was initially named Post Halt Number 2 on military maps during the 1840s, as postal coaches stopped here to obtain fresh horses on the journey between Durban (then Port Natal in Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek) and Johannesburg. It was later known as the Waterfall River Township because of the Ncandu River. Newcastle was named after the British Colonial Secretary, the fifth Duke of Newcastle, a British aristocrat, and not the city in England as some believe. On 14 October 1899, during the Anglo-Boer War, Newcastle was invaded by Boer forces, and the entire district was incorporated into the Transvaal Republic. After seven months it was renamed Viljoensdorp, after the commander of the Johannesburg Commando, General Ben Viljoen. However, after relief of Ladysmith under the command of General Redver Buller, the British forces reclaimed the name Newcastle. Newcastle (then Post Halt Number 2) was strategically situated in 1854 by the Surveyor-General of the Natal Colony, Dr. P.C. Sutherland on the banks of the flooded Ncandu River. In 1864, Newcastle was founded on the site, becoming the fourth settlement to be established in Natal after Durban, Weenen and Pietermaritzburg. In 1876, Fort Amiel was constructed to ward off the Zulus during the war, and in 1873 Newcastle became a separate electoral division. To commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (60th anniversary), the construction of a sandstone town hall commenced in 1897, and was completed two years later. The town was used as a depot by the British during both the First and Second Boer War, and also functioned as a major transport junction and stopover for wagons and post chaises during the late 19th century. British…

Geography

Located at approximately above sea level, Newcastle is located in the northwest corner of the province of KwaZulu-Natal at the foothills of the northern Drakensberg mountains. The city has a temperate climate and is classified under the country's 'Cold Interior'. Temperatures in Newcastle often drop below freezing during the winter months, with snowfall often experienced at least twice a decade. Newcastle's summer temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in the recent past due to the 2015 El Niño weather phenomenon, with the region experiencing drought conditions after 28 years.

Most-observed species

• Cape Wagtail

  Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  378
• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  302
• Southern Fiscal

  Lanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  297
• Ring-necked Dove

  Streptopelia capicola (Sundevall, 1857) · Aves
  267
• Southern Masked-Weaver

  Ploceus velatus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  255
• Dark-capped Bulbul

  Pycnonotus tricolor (Hartlaub, 1862) · Aves
  244
• African Stonechat

  Saxicola torquatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  225
• Southern Anteater-Chat

  Myrmecocichla formicivora (Wilkes, 1817) · Aves
  223