Newcastle Waters

This article is about the town and locality. For the pastoral lease, see Newcastle Waters Station.

Town in the Northern Territory, Australia

Newcastle Waters
Northern Territory

Newcastle Waters, ca. 1905

Newcastle Waters

Coordinates| 17°21′58″S 133°24′05″E﻿ / ﻿17.366°S 133.4015°E﻿ / -17.366; 133.4015[1]
Population| 64 (2016 census)[2]
Established| 9 January 1964 (town)
4 April 2007 (locality)[3][1]
Postcode(s)| 0862[4]
Time zone| ACST (UTC+9:30)
Location|

* 606 km (377 mi) S of Darwin[4]
* 285 km (177 mi) NW of Tennant Creek[3]

LGA(s)| Barkly Regional Council
Territory electorate(s)| Barkly[5]
Federal division(s)| Lingiari[6]
| Mean max temp[7] | Mean min temp[7] | Annual rainfall[7]

|
|

34.5 °C
94 °F | 19.1 °C
66 °F | 601.8 mm
23.7 in
| Localities around Newcastle Waters:

Pamayu | Pamayu | Pamayu
Pamayu | Newcastle Waters | Pamayu
Pamayu | Pamayu | Pamayu
Footnotes| Adjoining localities[8]

Newcastle Waters is a town and locality off the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. It is classified as a ghost town that contains a number of preserved historic buildings, including Jones's Store and the Junction Hotel.[9]

## Geography

[edit]

771 kilometres (479 mi) north of Alice Springs,[10] Newcastle Waters is located within the federal division of Lingiari, the territory electoral division of Barkly and the local government area of the Barkly Region,[6][5][8] inside Newcastle Waters Station, a large cattle station with over 40,000 head of cattle.[citation needed]

The nearest petrol station and accommodation is found 23 kilometres (14 mi) south at the town Elliott.

## History

[edit]

John McDouall Stuart reached the area on 23 May[11] 1861 in an unsuccessful attempt to cross the continent, he again passed through the area in 1862 on another attempt to cross the continent, which he was successful.[10] The town was named after the Duke of Newcastle at the time.[11]

The Overland Telegraph Station was established in 1872.[10]

In 1926, Newcastle Waters was required by the North Australia Act 1926 to be the permanent site of the seat of government for the now-defunct Territory of North Australia.[12] The provisional seat of government for the territory was Darwin, and nothing was done to establish the new capital before the act was repealed by the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1931.[12][13]

In 1935, Qantas Empire Air Services was using the Newcastle Waters landing strip as a link in its mail and passenger run, but the runway proved unsatisfactory, and the service was halted in November 1937.[11]

The township was economically dependent on droving and the arrival of road trains meant that by the early 1960s it had been reduced to a virtual ghost town.[11]

## Demographics

[edit]

The 2016 Australian census which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Newcastle Waters had 64 people living within its boundaries.[2]

In the 2021 census, Newcastle Waters had a population of 122 people, 49.2% female and 50.8% male. The median age of the Newcastle Waters population was 25 years, 13 years below the national median of 38.[14]

## Education

[edit]

The Newcastle Waters School draws most of its few students from the Marlinja homeland community which lies on the northern boundary of the town.[citation needed]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Place Names Register Extract for Newscastle Waters (locality)". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
2. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Newcastle Waters (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
3. ^ a b "Place Names Register Extract for Newscastle Waters (village)". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
4. ^ a b "Postcode for Newcastle Waters, Northern Territory". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
5. ^ a b "Electoral boundaries 2016, Electorate of Barkly" (PDF). Northern Territory Electoral Commission. 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
6. ^ a b "Map of the FEDERAL ELECTORAL DIVISION OF LINGIARI" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. February 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
7. ^ a b c "Summary statistics Elliott (nearest weather station)". Bureau of Meteorology, Australian government. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
8. ^ a b "Barkly Shire - Locality Names / Boundaries" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
9. ^ "Newcastle Waters Historic Township". Discover Central Australia. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
10. ^ a b c Boon, Robert (1991). The Concise Encyclopedia of Australia and New Zealand. Vol. 2 (10th ed.). Sydney: Horwitz Grahame Pty Limited. pp. 619–620\. ISBN 0 7255 2236 4.
11. ^ a b c d "Newcastle Waters - Culture and History". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
12. ^ a b "North Australia Act, No. 16 of 1926". Commonwealth of Australia. 4 June 1926. Retrieved 22 December 2018. "Clause 47; Seat of government of North Australia"
13. ^ "Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1931". Commonwealth of Australia.
14. ^ "2021 Newcastle Waters, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 26 May 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* The Age Newcastle Waters

* v
* t
* e

Localities and communities of the Barkly Region

Localities|

* Anmatjere (part)
* Costello
* Creswell
* Davenport
* Elliott
* Newcastle Waters
* Nicholson
* Pamayu
* Sandover (part)
* Ranken
* Tablelands
* Tanami East
* Tennant Creek
* Warumungu

Communities|

* Ali Curung
* Alpurrurulam
* Ampilatwatja
* Canteen Creek
* Tara
* Wutungurra

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*[e]: Edit this template