This large and modern mining town was the start of The Gurus Explore journey in the Pilbara, the wild west of Australia. Newman is situated in the heart of the Hamersley Ranges and got its name from Mount Newman. The town’s recent development and growth is largely due to iron ore mining operation that takes place here at Mount Newman which is now the largest single open-cut iron ore mine in the world. The population of the town is 4,500 and most are either directly or indirectly employed in the field of mining.

The Martu people were the original inhabitants of the region. In 1876 European explorers arrived and pastoral stations were established. However, the town has long since drifted from it’s agricultural roots. According to a 2001 census, only 1.3% of the workforce was employed in agriculture while 39% were employed in mining. The Newman Township was established in 1968 by Newman Mining Company Pty Ltd, now BHP Billiton.  The company built accommodation facilities and other amenities such as a hospital and supermarkets to provide for their ever growing workforce based in the town.

A great place to gain a real insight and appreciation of the history of the town is by visiting the Newman Visitors Centre. The Centre has an array of maps and brochures, local art pieces for sale, iron ore jewelry, sculptured glass and an outdoor museum with life sized examples of mining equipment. Visitors can also marvel at the first ore truck ever used in the town and see just how large the used equipment was, and be even more dazzled knowing that they are even larger today.  

The old Ford Thames truck of Stan Hilditch, the first person to discover iron ore in the region, can be seen at the Centre. Hilditch was in fact looking for manganese, but as he was standing at the top of Mount Whaleback, his compass readings went absolutely berserk, only to find he was standing on top of high grade iron ore. The rest as they say is history. The Newman Visitors centre is the starting point for the mine tours that the centre runs regularly.  Check out the Day 3- Mount Whaleback Mine Tour factsheet for more information on the mine tour.

Contact:
Newman Visitor Centre
Corner Fortescue Avenue and Newman Drive, Newman WA
Postal address: PO Box 303, Newman WA 6753
Phone: +61 8 9175 2888
Fax: +61 8 9175 2964
Email: newmanvc@bigpond.com
Website: www.newman-wa.org