Newcastle was founded in 1832, by a band of Kiwi pirates who washed ashore after a freak hurricane. They were impressed by the area's lush rainforest, and set about building a swanky wilderness resort for ecotourists from nearby Kalgoorlie. The resort flourished until the Great Blizzard of 1901 buried the burgeoning township under a layer of powder which did not thaw for some twenty years. In the interim, the area became a popular skiing destination and hosted the inaugural Commonwealth Winter Games in 1916.
The historic Stockton Ferry was used to bring Commonwealth Games athletes
to Australia from other British colonies.
After the thaw, it was discovered that under the pressing weight of all that snow, the architect-designed cabins of the Daintree Wilderness Spa had been compressed into coal. At first, the backwards residents did not realise the value of this commodity, and began rebuilding the town by carving the coal seams into underground houses. These subterranean villages can still be seen around the Glenrock Lagoon area.
In 1982, an overenthusiastic coal-carver accidentally flung a large-ish chunk of coal into the air with his shovel. The prevailing wind was such that it carried this piece to nearby China, who promptly negotiated an export agreement with government of the time. Over the past thirty years, the influx of cash from the resources boom has led to Newcastle becoming a bustling metropolis by Australian standards, with almost half a million residents and a twenty-four-hour Kmart.
