It was in the holiday week between Christmas and New Years Eve in 1989 that Newcastle was hit by an earthquake measuring 10.6 on the Richter scale. The 1989 Newcastle earthquake which would hit the town on the morning of December 28 would be one of the most significant and destructive natural disasters in Australian history, claiming 13 lives and injuring approximately 160 others.

At the time, the plans to rebuild the city of Newcastle were plagued by community concerns that the earthquake was being used as an excuse for the council, in collaboration with opportunistic developers, to have plans approved without the proper means of consultation with the community. It would take several years to complete the project and at a cost 4 billion dollars was one of the most expensive relief efforts experienced in New South Wales history.

External Links

Richter Scale - Wiki

What to do in an earthquake?

Newcastle Library earthquake database

Emergency Services NSW - Newcastle Earthquake

Newcastle Local History - Newcastle Earthquake