The Newcastle Steelworks was a steel mill built by BHP in Newcastle, New South Wales. Construction commenced in January 1913, with operations commencing in March 1915. It was officially opened on 2 June 1915 by Governor-General Ronald Munro Ferguson.The Opening of the Newcastle Steelworks Barrier Miner 22 May 1915 Newcastle was selected due to its proximity to the Hunter Valley coalfields with the iron ore shipped from Whyalla.
The steelworks had a rail network. Initially operated by steam locomotives, 32 and 37 class diesel locomotives were later introduced.Vessatile Shunter for Two-Gauge Operations Railway Transportation January 1962 pages 32-34Steelworks Sign-Off Railway Digest October 1999 pages 22-24
Having become one of the largest employers in Australia with a workforce that peaked at 11,000 in 1981, it closed on 30 September 1999.Steel City without the Big Australian 7.30 Report 29 September 1999Newcastle loses its soul of iron Australian Financial Review 9 December 1999Newcastle remembers steelworks closure ABC News 30 September 2009Closure of steelworks in Newcastle, Australia Stockholm Environment Institute June 2021 Demolition commenced in 2000.Newcastle Steelworks Major Projects
In 2022, the Department of Planning & Environment called for expressions of interest to redevelop the site.Extensively remediated former BHP steelworks site to be re-purposed ABC News 14 February 2022New Push To Redevelop Steelworks Site At Newcastle 2HD 14 February 2022
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