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79-733: Nicholas was appointed sole commissioner on 25 August 1933, to report on the New States Royal Commission. A preliminary sitting of the Commission was held in Sydney on 18 October 1933, with representations from the following movements: The New England Movement , The Western Division of the United Country Movement, The Riverina Division of the United Country Movement, The Federal Reconstruction Movement, and The NSW Unity Movement, with each speaking in favour of subdivision. Subsequently

158-531: A "new State may be formed by separation of territory from a State, but only with the consent of the Parliament thereof". Separation would require an Act of the New South Wales Parliament, and that would not occur without, at very least, popular support for separation within the proposed boundaries of the new state. A referendum of New England electors was held on 29 April 1967. The 'no' vote was led by

237-556: A 31-year monopoly on that town's coal traffic. Other collieries were within a 16 km (10 mi) radius of the town. Principal coal mines were located at Stockton , Tighes Hill , Carrington and the Newcastle Coal and Copper Company's collieries at Merewether (includes the Glebe), Wallsend and the Waratah collieries. All operations had closed by the early 1960s. On 10 December 1831,

316-410: A bronze medal "against all-comers from every part of the world", the only first prize awarded for soap and candles. Following World War I the company was sold to Messrs Lever & Kitchen (today Unilever ), and the factory closed in the mid-1930s. In 1911, BHP chose the city as the site for its steelworks due to the abundance of coal. The land put aside was prime real estate, on the southern edge of

395-526: A fleet of freighters as well as several fast passenger vessels, including the PS Newcastle and the PS Namoi . The Namoi had first-class cabins with the latest facilities. Because of the coal supply, small ships plied between Newcastle and Sydney, Brisbane , Melbourne and Adelaide , carrying coal to gas works and bunkers for shipping, and railways. These were commonly known as sixty-milers , referring to

474-464: A large incentive for investment in the Newcastle and Hunter region due to its status as a major coal mining and export hub to Asian markets. Large projects related to the coal industry helped to propel the Newcastle unemployment rate to 20 year lows and allow the Newcastle region to weather the effects of the late 2000s recession better than NSW as a whole. As of 2009, the two largest single employers are

553-570: A new state and its capital city, using a policy of decentralisation as a justification. When a new power station opened at Armidale in 1922, it was under the Scottish royal banner, later, in modified form, the symbol of the New State Movement. The Tamworth Power Station, opened in 1922, eventually became the centre of a power distribution grid that covered much of the New England area. Although

632-550: A new state in northern New South Wales. One outcome was the 1924 Cohen Royal Commission into New States. The Cohen Commission ruled against to the movement and it went into decline, resurging at the start of the Great Depression . This forced another Royal Commission, the Nicholas Commission. While this recommended in favour, the movement was again in decline as economic conditions improved. Agitation started again at

711-554: A prominent politician, rising to caretaker Prime Minister of Australia . This was picked up a little later by Victor Thompson , editor of the Tamworth Northern Daily Leader who launched a sustained newspaper campaign that involved papers as far south as Cessnock in the lower Hunter. This led to the creation of a formal movement. In 1922 a formal request to the Commonwealth was made by the lower house to establish

790-470: A single, essentially rural community of interest. This metrocentric mindset ensured that two quite distinct communities of interest were being pressured into a doomed arranged marriage. It was also the very antithesis of an "act of free choice" as that choice involved imposing a majority rural will over a geographically distinct urban community. A new state proposal based in most part on boundaries formed by those Local Councils with majorities that actually wanted

869-685: A sitting government anywhere in Australia since World War II . Labor won just 20 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly ; of these, only two ( Cessnock and Wallsend ) were in the Hunter Region . Before the election, the Liberal Party only held one seat in the entire Hunter Region (the seat of Port Stephens , which the party narrowly gained from Labor in 2007 ). However, at the subsequent state election in 2015 , although

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948-760: Is Starrett Park in New Lambton, known for its playground and lush grass. Newcastle has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) that is typical of the Australian east coast. Precipitation is heaviest in late autumn and early winter, while the second half of the year is slightly drier on average. The climate is generally moderated by the Pacific Ocean to the east. Summers are mostly warm and humid with periods of very dry and hot weather occasionally due to hot west to north-westerly winds, which can bring temperatures in excess of 40 °C (104 °F). The highest recorded temperature

1027-470: Is a regional metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales , Australia. It includes the cities of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and it is the hub of the Lower Hunter region, which includes most parts of the cities of Newcastle , Lake Macquarie , Maitland , Cessnock , and Port Stephens Council . Newcastle is also known by its colloquial nickname, Newy . Located at

1106-476: Is a vibrant arts scene in the city including a highly regarded art gallery, and an active Hunter Writers' Centre. Recent fictional representations (for example Antoinette Eklund's 'Steel River') present a new vision of the city, using the city's historic past as a backdrop for contemporary fiction. The old central business district, located at Newcastle's eastern end, still has a considerable number of historic buildings, dominated by Christ Church Cathedral, seat of

1185-449: Is dominated by sand dunes, swamps and multiple river channels. A "green belt" protecting plant and wildlife flanks the city from the west (Watagan mountains) around to the north where it meets the coast just north of Stockton. Urban development is mainly restricted to the hilly southern bank. The small town of Stockton sits opposite central Newcastle at the river mouth and is linked by ferry. Road access between Stockton and central Newcastle

1264-511: Is generally labelled as the 'Greater Newcastle Area' includes the LGAs of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock and Port Stephens. In 2021 this region had a total population of 682,465. Of people in the Newcastle metropolitan area, 83.6 per cent were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 2.3%, New Zealand 1.0%, China 0.7%, India 0.5% and Philippines 0.4%. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.8% of

1343-470: Is the University of Newcastle . It was established in 1951 as a satellite campus of the University of New South Wales and obtained autonomy in 1965. The university now offers over 150 undergraduate and graduate courses to a student population of more than 38,000, including 7,000 international students from more than 113 countries. The main campus is in the suburb of Callaghan about 12 km (7 mi) from

1422-549: Is via the Stockton Bridge , a distance of 20 km (12 mi). Much of the city is undercut by the coal measures of the Sydney sedimentary basin, and what were once numerous coal-mining villages located in the hills and valleys around the port have merged into a single urban area extending southwards to Lake Macquarie . The Greater Newcastle area is situated right between the Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions, with

1501-427: The 1968 state election and gained 0.80% of the total state vote with Garry Nehl , in the seat of Clarence , winning 35% of the primary vote. However this was a brief twilight in the campaign and, exhausted, the movement again went into decline for the next four decades. Although the question of the new state's capital remained open, Armidale , was both a centre of the movement and location of its conferences, and it

1580-591: The Anglican Bishop of Newcastle . Other noteworthy buildings include Fort Scratchley , the Ocean Baths, the old Customs House , the 1920s City Hall , the 1890s Longworth Institute (once regarded as the finest building in the colony) and the 1930s art deco University House (formerly NESCA House, seen in the film Superman Returns ). Newcastle is on the southern bank of the Hunter River mouth. The northern side

1659-646: The Australian Labor Party who campaigned hard. The referendum was narrowly defeated with 54% voting 'no'. The very high 'no' vote in the Labor strongholds of Newcastle and the Lower Hunter offset the majority 'yes' vote elsewhere, although the no margin was not high. The threat of restricted access to the highly regulated Sydney milk and dairy products market also boosted the 'no' vote in rural areas. Despite this defeat, four New State candidates stood for election at

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1738-828: The Awabakal and Worimi Aboriginal people, who called the area Malubimba. Based on Aboriginal-language references documented in maps, sketches and geological descriptions, eight landmarks have been officially dual-named by the NSW Geographic Names Board with their traditional Aboriginal names. They include Nobbys Head also known as Whibayganba; Flagstaff Hill also known as Tahlbihn; Pirate Point also known as Burrabihngarn; Port Hunter also known as Yohaaba; Hunter River (South Channel) also known as Coquun; Shepherds Hill also known as Khanterin; Ironbark Creek also known as Toohrnbing and Hexham Swamp also known as Burraghihnbihng. In September 1797, Lieutenant John Shortland became

1817-569: The CBD . There are three campuses of the Hunter Institute of TAFE , one located in the Newcastle CBD, one in the suburb of Hamilton East and the other located in the suburb of Tighes Hill . The Tighes Hill campus is the network's largest campus and offers courses in business, hospitality and various trades. Newcastle holds a variety of cultural events and festivals. The Newcastle Regional Show

1896-685: The Cockle Creek Smelter was built. The largest factory of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere was constructed in 1885, on an 8.9-hectare (22-acre) site between the suburbs of Tighes Hill and Port Waratah, by Charles Upfold , from London, for his Sydney Soap and Candle Company, to replace a smaller factory in Wickham. Their soap products won 17 medals at International Exhibitions. At the Sydney International Exhibition they won

1975-597: The Electricity Commission of New South Wales (ECNSW) was established in 1950, initially the grid in the New England region remained separate. There was significant opposition from local governments in the area to the formation of the ECNSW and the potential loss of control of local electricity generation and its separate transmission network. By 1954, the Tamworth network was the last of the significant power generators that

2054-504: The Governor of New South Wales from 1800, decided on a more positive approach to exploit the now obvious natural resources of the Hunter Valley . In 1801, a convict camp called King's Town (named after the governor) was established to mine coal and cut timber. In the same year, the first shipment of coal was dispatched to Sydney. This settlement closed less than a year later. A settlement

2133-839: The Newcastle Steelworks , Parnell Place in the city's East End, the breakwall and Art Deco Ocean baths. There were no casualties in the attack and damage was minimal. The Port of Newcastle remains the economic and trade centre for the resource-rich Hunter Valley and for much of the north and north-west of New South Wales. Newcastle is the world's largest coal export port and Australia's oldest and second-largest tonnage throughput port, with over 3,000 shipping movements handling cargo of 95.8 Mt per annum, of which coal exports represented 90.8 Mt in 2008–09. The volume of coal exported, and attempts to increase coal exports, are opposed by environmental groups including Newcastle-based Rising Tide Australia . These have undertaken various protests targeting

2212-508: The centre-right Liberal Party has ever been consistently competitive is the Port Stephens region in the north of the Newcastle metropolitan area, as well as in some beachside, middle-class suburbs near the Newcastle CBD such as Bar Beach and Merewether . The Port Stephens area is traditionally marginal and while historically was dominated by Labor, has been won by the Liberals. One time

2291-765: The 1935 report of the Nicholas Royal Commission into areas of NSW suitable for self-government included Newcastle and the Hunter. These boundaries were adopted by the New England New State Movement and used as the basis for the 1967 self-government referendum. New England was first called Northern NSW, the North, the Northern Districts or the Northern Provinces. The name New England was applied to

2370-603: The 1970s. These downturns were particularly hard hitting for heavy industry which was particularly prevalent in Newcastle. The early 1990s recession caused significant job losses across Australia and the Newcastle region experienced a peak unemployment rate of 17% in February 1993, compared to 12.1% in New South Wales and 11.9% across Australia. In 1999, the steelworks closed after 84 years' operation and had employed about 50,000 during its existence, many for decades. The closure of

2449-738: The Australian Agricultural Company officially opened Australia's first railway, at the intersection of Brown & Church Streets, Newcastle. Privately owned and operated to service the A Pit coal mine, it was a cast-iron fishbelly rail on an inclined plane as a gravitational railway . In the 1850s, a major copper smelting works was established at Burwood, near Merewether. An engraving of this appeared in The Illustrated London News on 11 February 1854. The English and Australian Copper Company built another substantial works at Broadmeadow circa 1890, and in that decade

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2528-475: The BHP steelworks occurred at a time of strong economic expansion in Australia. At the time of the closure and since the closure Newcastle experienced a significant amount of economic diversification which has strengthened the local economy. Since 2003, Australia experienced the effects of the 2000s commodities boom as commodities prices for major export good such as coal and iron ore rose significantly. This provided

2607-528: The Central Coast bordering in the south and the Mid North Coast bordering in the north as well as other Hunter local government areas (outside of Newcastle) bordering in the west and north-west. Newcastle has several public parks including King Edward Park, which was designated in 1863. Features of the park include coastal views, a sunken garden and a Victorian rotunda. Another noteworthy park of Newcastle

2686-583: The City of Newcastle and the Newcastle metropolitan area. The area, officially the Newcastle Statistical District, is referred to as Greater Newcastle or the Lower Hunter Region, which includes most parts of the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock, Maitland and Port Stephens local government areas and, as of 30 June 2009, has an estimated population of 540,796. Despite their proximity, all of

2765-566: The Coalition retained majority government (and subsequently retained government again in 2019 before Labor formed a minority government in 2023 ), the party lost all of its Hunter-based seats. There are three federal electoral divisions that are mostly or entirely within Greater Newcastle: Newcastle (covering the inner-city suburbs; this seat has only ever elected Labor MPs since it was created in 1901 ), Paterson (covering

2844-524: The Commonwealth of Australia, a northern region, and a central, western and southern region, with descriptions of the boundaries of each region listed. A referendum was recommended in each of the proposed areas, with electors informed of the questions at issue, and of facts relating to the advantages and disadvantages of subdivision. This Australian government-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . New England New State Movement The New England New State Movement

2923-585: The Hunter New England Area Health Service and the University of Newcastle . The National Stock Exchange of Australia (formerly Newcastle Stock Exchange) was formerly based in the city. With its history as a traditionally working-class area, Newcastle has been a stronghold for the centre-left Labor Party at all levels of politics since Federation . Labor currently holds every federal and state seat that overlaps at least partially with Newcastle. The only area of Greater Newcastle where

3002-493: The LGAs in the region maintain their own individual identities, separate from Newcastle. The population of the suburb of Newcastle is 3,852 as of the 2021 census. The demonym for the people of Newcastle is "Novocastrian", derived from Latin novus (new) and castra (castle or fort). Coal mining began in earnest on 3 May 1833 when the Australian Agricultural Company received land grants at Newcastle plus

3081-463: The Liberals did win seats in Newcastle was at the 2011 state election . At this election, the incumbent Labor government, led by then- Premier Kristina Keneally , was defeated by the Liberal - National Coalition , led by then- Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell , in a landslide , suffering the worst ever defeat of a sitting government in New South Wales history and (at the time) the worst defeat of

3160-558: The Nicholas Commission proved to be the movement's critical strategic error. It assumed that a state was not viable unless it was dominated by a large urban population on the English/London model. Yet, the evidence from similar federations like Canada and the USA revealed numerous successful "farm states", like Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas, with comparatively small capital city populations tied to

3239-529: The Port Stephens area as well as the nearby city of Maitland and the town of Kurri Kurri ; this seat is currently a marginal Labor seat that the Liberals have won previously, though it historically included more rural areas and did not include Maitland or Kurri Kurri) and Shortland (a fairly safe Labor seat that includes the eastern suburbs of the Lake Macquarie region in southern Newcastle, and extends to

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3318-501: The Royal Commission examined the functions of the state, the distribution of revenue, the civil service, distribution of assets and liabilities, and tests of suitability. The proposed states were assessed in terms of the nature of boundaries, size of area, population, nature of production and resources, community interests and means of communication. The Report found that two areas would be suitable for self-government as States within

3397-738: The Tableland area forming New England's core. The Tablelands are known as the Northern Tablelands, the New New England Tablelands or sometimes just the New England to distinguish them from the broader New England area. The name New England was adopted for the whole area by the Northern Separation Movement at its 1931 Maitland convention. From there its usage spread, contracting again as the new state movement went into decline after 1967. From its earliest days, separatism

3476-512: The University College, which was established after a donation of land and donations of funds from the community. The movement underwent a resurgence in 2004, primarily in response to State (Labor) Government shire amalgamations and farmers responses to new vegetation management policies. The Annual General Meetings of NSW Farmers passed resolutions to investigate the feasibility of a non-metropolitan state in both 2004 and 2005. A task force

3555-459: The area of the proposed new state area were also significant. Compared to the metropolitan and southern parts of New South Wales, the Northern Tablelands and Northern Rivers had a higher concentration of followers of the then-dominant Protestant religions, had more people of Scottish descent, and was less Catholic. The choice of a lion rampant, highly-reminiscent of the Royal Banner of Scotland , as

3634-615: The central institution of national life’, the National Catholic Rural Movement was seen as 'running on parallel lines' to and as a natural ally of the New State movement. By 1949, the Catholic bishop of Armidale, Edward Doody , a supporter of anti-communist Catholic political activist, B.A Santamaria , was a member of the New State movement's executive council. The first separatist agitation occurred during colonial times at

3713-517: The change would have acquired a critical momentum. Premier Robert Askin and the Cabinet believed in 1966 that a secession referendum would win, so they had the upper Hunter Region and Newcastle included within the boundaries of the proposed new state before putting it to a vote. Section 121 of the Constitution of Australia allows for the admission of states, but section 124 imposes a restriction that

3792-576: The deep-water port and the area's abundant coal. Over the next two years, coal mined from the area was the New South Wales colony's first export. Newcastle gained a reputation as a "hellhole" as it was a place where the most dangerous convicts were sent to dig in the coal mines as harsh punishment for their crimes. By the start of the 19th century the mouth of the Hunter River was being visited by diverse groups of men, including coal diggers, timber-cutters, and more escaped convicts. Philip Gidley King ,

3871-486: The end of the Second World War and this time was sustained by permanent staff. In 1953, 21 councils defied the state government and held unofficial referendum on the issue of a new state. The people voted overwhelmingly in favour of the referendum. In 1961 the movement launched Operation Seventh State, raising over AU£ 100,000. This allowed more staff and greater agitation. This acceptance of boundaries determined by

3950-559: The export of coal from the city, such as in 2023 when 3000 people took part in a water based blockade and 109 were arrested. Newcastle had a shipbuilding industry with the Walsh Island Dockyard & Engineering Works , State Dockyard and Forgacs Shipyard . In recent years the only major ship-construction contract awarded to the area was the construction of the Huon -class minehunters . The era of extensive heavy industry passed when

4029-557: The far northeastern suburbs of the Central Coast ). The traditionally Labor-held seat of Hunter (now a marginal Labor seat) is based around the western portion of the Hunter , but includes some western and Southern suburbs of Newcastle. On the state level, there are five electoral districts that are located entirely within Greater Newcastle; of these, four ( Charlestown , Newcastle , Port Stephens and Swansea ) are Labor seats while

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4108-419: The first European to explore the area. His discovery of the area was largely accidental; as he had been sent in search of a number of convicts who had seized a locally built vessel called Cumberland as she was sailing from Sydney Cove . While returning, Lt. Shortland entered what he later described as "a very fine river", which he named after New South Wales' Governor John Hunter . He returned with reports of

4187-657: The grounds of Newcastle East Public School. There are three selective state schools in the area: The two main independent schools in Newcastle are Newcastle Grammar School and St Philip's Christian College , both coeducational K–12 schools. The local area is also home to two Steiner schools : the Newcastle Waldorf School at Glendale in Lake Macquarie , and the Linuwel Steiner School in East Maitland . The city's main provider of tertiary education

4266-464: The harbour. In 1915, the Newcastle Steelworks opened, beginning a period of some 80 years dominating the steel works and heavy industry. As Mayfield and the suburbs surrounding the steelworks declined in popularity because of pollution, the steelworks thrived, becoming the region's largest employer. Newcastle as a traditional area of heavy industry was not immune from the effects of economic downturns that plagued New South Wales and wider Australia since

4345-444: The last convicts in 1823, the town was freed from the infamous influence of the penal law. It began to acquire the aspect of a typical Australian pioneer settlement, and a steady flow of free settlers poured into the hinterland. During the nineteenth century the formation of the Newcastle & Hunter River Steamship Company saw the establishment of regular steamship services from Morpeth and Newcastle with Sydney. The company had

4424-442: The mouth of the Hunter River , it is the predominant city within the Hunter Region . Famous for its coal , Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, exporting 143 million tonnes of coal in 2022. Beyond the city, the Hunter Region possesses large coal deposits. Geologically, the area is located in the central-eastern part of the Sydney Basin . Newcastle and the lower Hunter Region were traditionally occupied by

4503-478: The movement's flag suggests that, at least in the movement's earlier years, an element of sectarianism , as well as separatism, may have been involved. However, especially after the Second World War, the movement did have supporters among Catholics, in particular, the National Catholic Rural Movement, founded in 1939, which had a political philosophy based upon the doctrine known as Catholic social teaching . With its stated aim to ‘to restore and develop agriculture as

4582-406: The nautical journey between Newcastle and Sydney. These ships continued in service until recent times. During World War II , Newcastle was an important industrial centre for the Australian war effort. In 1942, the Japanese planned to attack Sydney Harbour . On the early hours of 8 June, the Japanese submarine I-21 briefly shelled Newcastle. Among the areas hit within the city were dockyards,

4661-426: The new settlement. The new settlement, comprising convicts and a military guard, arrived at the Hunter River on 27 March 1804 in three ships: HMS  Lady Nelson , the Resource and the James . The convicts were rebels from the 1804 Castle Hill convict rebellion . The link with Newcastle upon Tyne , England (its namesake) and also whence many of the 19th-century coal miners came, is still obvious in some of

4740-424: The new state—especially if the industrial and mining area of the Lower Hunter were to be excluded—the Country Party stood a far better chance of forming a majority government, something politically impossible within the existing larger state of New South Wales. The Country Party's influence at federal level would also tend to increase, by the creation of new senators representing the new state. The demographics of

4819-422: The phrase "A Country College for Country Kids", and he used it effectively, seeing the college as a step towards the foundation of a university at Armidale. The presence of secondary schools and the teachers' college in Armidale was a factor in the foundation, in 1938, of the New England University College that was the predecessor of the University of New England . D. H. Drummond was also a prominent advocate for

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4898-412: The place-names—such as Jesmond , Hexham , Wickham , Wallsend and Gateshead . Morpeth, New South Wales is a similar distance north of Newcastle as Morpeth, Northumberland is north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Under Captain James Wallis , commandant from 1815 to 1818, the convicts' conditions improved, and a building boom began. Captain Wallis laid out the streets of the town, built the first church of

4977-434: The population. 88.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 0.7%, Macedonian 0.5%, Italian 0.4%, Greek 0.3% and Cantonese 0.3%. The most common responses for religion in Newcastle were No Religion 31.1%, Catholic 21.7% and Anglican 19.2%. Newcastle is often quoted as being the seventh-largest city in Australia . This is misleading as the area represented extends well beyond both

5056-459: The present day. In political terms, the boundaries have varied. The initial separation discussions excluded the Hunter, in part because of tensions between the industrial and mining heartland of the lower Hunter and the rest of the area. This created a problem because an urban/industrial centre like Newcastle and the Hunter were seen as an essential part of New England, or any new state, in economic and geographic terms. The boundaries recommended by

5135-413: The rate of commercial and retail occupation remains low while alternate suburban centres have become more important. The CBD itself is shifting to the west, towards the major urban renewal area known as "Honeysuckle". This renewal, to run for another 10 years, is a major part of arresting the shift of business and residents to the suburbs. Commercial renewal has been accompanied by cultural renaissance. There

5214-419: The remaining seat ( Lake Macquarie ) is held by an independent . Greater Newcastle also includes five local government areas (LGAs): the City of Newcastle , the City of Lake Macquarie , the City of Cessnock , the City of Maitland and the Port Stephens Council . Newcastle High School , which was formed by the merger of three schools, traces its lineage to a secondary school section initially founded on

5293-412: The site of the present Christ Church Cathedral , erected the old gaol on the seashore, and began work on the breakwater which now joins Nobbys Head to the mainland. The quality of these first buildings was poor, and only the (much reinforced) breakwater survives. During this period, in 1816, the first school was built in Newcastle. Newcastle remained a penal settlement until 1822, when the settlement

5372-492: The steel works closed in 1999. Many of the remaining manufacturing industries have located themselves well away from the city itself. Newcastle has one of the oldest theatre districts in Australia. Victoria Theatre on Perkins Street is the oldest purpose-built theatre in the country. The theatre district that occupied the area around what is now the Hunter Street Mall vanished during the 1940s. The old city centre has seen some new apartments and hotels built in recent years, but

5451-413: The time of the separation of Queensland from NSW. While this was followed by outbreaks of agitation, these remained sporadic. Well-organised 'Separation Leagues' existed at both Glen Innes and Grafton in the late 1880s, but did not make progress. This changed in the twentieth century. Agitation began again at Grafton towards the end of the First World War led by Earle Page , a local doctor and later

5530-450: Was 1.8 °C (35.2 °F) on 27 July 1986. East coast lows also impact Newcastle, sometimes delivering winds well above 100 km/h (62 mph) and torrential rainfall, usually lasting a couple of days. The east coast low in May 1974, the 2007 New South Wales storms and April 2015 are extreme examples of this type of weather. The metropolitan area of Newcastle is the second-most-populous area in New South Wales to Sydney . What

5609-413: Was 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) on 18 January 2013 at the Nobbys Head weather station. Winters are generally mild with drier conditions than summer on average. Cold fronts affect the area and sometimes bring strong westerly winds behind them, but due to the foehn effect they generally provide clear conditions as the region lies leeward of the Great Dividing Range . The lowest recorded temperature

5688-466: Was again attempted in 1804, as a place of secondary punishment for unruly convicts. The settlement was named Coal River, also Kingstown and then renamed Newcastle, after the English city . The name first appeared by the commission issued by Governor King on 15 March 1804 to Lieutenant Charles Menzies of the marine detachment on HMS  Calcutta , then at Port Jackson , appointing him superintendent of

5767-435: Was also the putative capital city. It was also already a cathedral city for Anglicans and Catholics , and location of a number of religious secondary schools. A site just to the south of Armidale was, up to 1904 and again in 1908, considered as a potential site for Australia's federal capital. Supporters of the new state movement used their influence, to obtain amenities and infrastructure that would be appropriate for

5846-507: Was an Australian political movement in the twentieth century. Founded as the Northern Separation Movement, the aim of the movement was to seek the secession of the New England region and surrounding areas from the State of New South Wales (NSW) and the establishment of a new State of New England. While popular at first and the subject of two Royal Commissions , the movement was unsuccessful, and

5925-520: Was associated with the then newly formed Country Party , and its immediate predecessor the Progressive Party . The rationale for a separate state had parallels with that of the Country Party itself, a belief that country interests needed to be defended against dominant metropolitan interests, particularly, but not only, those associated with the Australian Labor Party . Within the area proposed for

6004-541: Was defeated at a referendum in 1967 . Because New England has never had a formal identity, its claimed boundaries have varied with time. In broad terms, it covers the humid coastal strip including the Hunter Region to the Queensland border, the New England Tablelands and the immediately adjoining Western Slopes and Plains. In economic and geographic terms, New England forms a natural unit that has survived to

6083-553: Was formed chaired by then NSWF President Mr Malcolm Peters. Some polling was commissioned and a convention was held but little further effort appears to have taken place. A group of dedicated activists continue to agitate for a new state in the area. It is being carried out in an informal sense or through social media such as a dedicated Facebook page. Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle , also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( locally / ˈ nj uː k ɑː s əl / NEW -kah-səl ; Awabakal : Mulubinba )

6162-404: Was not interconnected with the grid then controlled by the ECNSW. It was connected to the statewide grid only in 1957. A firm supporter of the movement, Armidale's parliamentary representative and Minister of Education, Mr D. H. Drummond , selected Armidale, as the site of the second teacher's college in New South Wales, Armidale Teachers College , in 1929. It was probably Drummond who coined

6241-432: Was opened up to farming. As a penal colony, the military rule was harsh, especially at Limeburners' Bay, on the inner side of Stockton peninsula. There, convicts were sent to burn oyster shells for making lime. Military rule in Newcastle ended in 1823. Prisoner numbers were reduced to 100 (most of these were employed on the building of the breakwater), and the remaining 900 were sent to Port Macquarie . After removal of

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