Newman, Western Australia

Newman, Western Australia, located about 1120 km northeast of Perth, is the largest town in the Pilbara region. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway. With a population of 2,000, it is a modern mining town with leafy suburban-style homes providing a stark contrast to the surrounding reddish arid desert area.

Originally a marginal cattle country, Newman was built in the 1960's with the discovery of rich iron deposits on nearby Mt Whaleback . The discovery marked the start of the resource boom in the WA in the 1970s. A privately owned railway was constructed linking it to Port Hedland which itself was upgraded to handle shipment of the ore to the world market. The ore train is the longest train in the world. Newman is also a service town to the nearby mining settlements like Tom Price and Paraburdoo.