Onslow
Western Australia
Salt mine near Onslow
Onslow is located in Western Australia
Onslow
Onslow
Coordinates21°38′S 115°07′E / 21.64°S 115.11°E / -21.64; 115.11
Population813 (UCL 2021)[1]
Established1885 (1925 moved)
Postcode(s)6710
Elevation6 m (20 ft)
Area185.2 km2 (71.5 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Ashburton
State electorate(s)North West Central
Federal division(s)Durack

Onslow is a coastal town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 1,386 kilometres (861 mi) north of Perth. It has a population of 848 people and is located within the Shire of Ashburton local government area.[2]

The town is served by Onslow Airport, and is located 76 km off of the North West Coastal Highway.[3]

History

Onslow was gazetted on 26 October 1885 as a town to serve the port at Ashburton Roads, at the mouth of the Ashburton River, exporting wool from sheep stations of the Pilbara hinterland. It was named after the then Chief Justice of Western Australia, Sir Alexander Onslow (1842–1908).[4][5][6]

Wool continued to be the major industry for the next eighty years, despite the extremes of drought and flood that characterize the region and are related to the passage or absence of cyclones.

Although a large jetty was built at the original site of Onslow (Old Onslow), repeated cyclone damage and the silting up of the river caused increasing problems with the loading and unloading of visiting ships. The cargo was transferred by lighter from the ship in Ashburton Roads to the jetty, then by horse-tram from the jetty across 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) of marshland inland to the town. This led the state government in 1923 to develop a new town and jetty 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east at Beadon Point.[7][8] The new townsite was gazetted on 10 January 1924, and the residents of Old Onslow moved across in 1925.[7][9] The new location for Onslow's jetty was better protected from storm damage with the townsite more conveniently located on the coast.[10]

On 15 May 1943, Onslow became the most southerly town in Australia to be bombed by Imperial Japan in World War II, when a single plane bombed the airfield.[5] However, there was no damage or casualties.[5]

Since the war, the declining purchasing power of wool has, despite consistently good rainfall on the inland sheep stations since the late 1960s, led to a change in focus of Onslow's economy from wool to tourism. It is an access point for Coral Coast activities, such as scuba diving on the coral reefs offshore from the town.

Climate

Onslow has a hot desert climate (BWh) having low year round rainfall with most of it falling in the first half of the year. Only a few months have average highs below 27 °C (80.6 °F). Onslow registered the joint highest temperature ever recorded in Australia (along with Oodnadatta in January 1960)[11][12] at 50.7 °C (123.26 °F) on 13 January 2022.[13][14][15]

Climate data for Onslow
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 50.7
(123.3)		 48.3
(118.9)		 46.2
(115.2)		 43.3
(109.9)		 39.0
(102.2)		 32.7
(90.9)		 32.2
(90.0)		 35.5
(95.9)		 41.7
(107.1)		 44.7
(112.5)		 45.5
(113.9)		 48.7
(119.7)		 50.7
(123.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 35.7
(96.3)		 35.5
(95.9)		 35.4
(95.7)		 33.2
(91.8)		 28.9
(84.0)		 25.5
(77.9)		 24.8
(76.6)		 26.6
(79.9)		 29.1
(84.4)		 31.7
(89.1)		 33.8
(92.8)		 35.2
(95.4)		 31.3
(88.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.7
(74.7)		 24.3
(75.7)		 23.3
(73.9)		 20.4
(68.7)		 16.3
(61.3)		 13.3
(55.9)		 11.7
(53.1)		 12.5
(54.5)		 14.2
(57.6)		 16.7
(62.1)		 19.3
(66.7)		 21.6
(70.9)		 18.1
(64.6)
Record low °C (°F) 16.6
(61.9)		 15.1
(59.2)		 16.9
(62.4)		 10.9
(51.6)		 8.9
(48.0)		 3.1
(37.6)		 4.6
(40.3)		 5.4
(41.7)		 7.9
(46.2)		 8.9
(48.0)		 12.9
(55.2)		 15.6
(60.1)		 3.1
(37.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 28.3
(1.11)		 52.2
(2.06)		 49.0
(1.93)		 20.1
(0.79)		 45.5
(1.79)		 44.2
(1.74)		 18.4
(0.72)		 8.6
(0.34)		 1.3
(0.05)		 0.8
(0.03)		 1.5
(0.06)		 5.3
(0.21)		 275.2
(10.83)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 2.6 3.6 3.2 1.6 3.4 3.7 2.4 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.6 23.7
Source: [16][13]

During Onslow's long history, the town has gone through the extremes of heatwaves, heavy rains and cyclones. For example, in 1912, Onslow received only 14.5 millimetres (0.57 in) of rainfall and during 1935-36 combined only 126 millimetres (4.96 in) fell.[17][18][19] While in 1961 a record 997.9 millimetres (39.29 in) was recorded, most of which fell between late January and early March, a result of three cyclone impacts within five weeks.[16][20][21] These cyclones brought heavy rain and destructive winds to Onslow, resulting in flooding and damage to buildings.[20] A major long-term drought between 1935 and 1941, during which time only one cyclone hit (in April 1937) and did not produce rain on the inland sheep stations, led to a decline in Onslow's fortunes.

A kangaroo in the ruins of Old Onslow

Cyclones

Numerous cyclones have impacted Onslow over the years, the first recorded by white colonists was in 1880.[20] On 28 March 1934, a severe cyclone hit the town, with the new jetty nearly destroyed. All the buildings suffered damage, with some destroyed.[20] Another severe cyclone crossed the coast at Onslow on 7 February 1963, damaging nearly every building in town. Destructive wind gusts of 231 kilometres per hour (144 mph; 64 m/s) were recorded during the cyclone, which bent telephone poles, leaving them parallel with the ground.[20] On 19 February 1975, Severe Tropical Cyclone Trixie crossed the coast near Onslow, with the cyclone's centre passing directly over nearby Mardie.[20] A wind gust of 246 kilometres per hour (153 mph; 68 m/s) were recorded at Onslow, whilst wind gusts of 259 kilometres per hour (161 mph; 72 m/s) at Mardie (This was the limit of the recorder, so the gusts at Mardie may have been higher).[20][22] At the time, the wind gust recorded at Onslow was the highest recorded in Australia.[20][23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Onslow (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. 
  2. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Onslow (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "Onslow to Cane". Onslow to Cane. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Government Gazette W.A. - 29 October 1885" (PDF). Western Australian Government Gazette. Department of the Premier and Cabinet. p. 2. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "History - Shire of Ashburton". Shire of Ashburton. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "A trip to the Ashburton". The West Australian. 12 August 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Onslow - Western Australia". WANowandThen.com. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Onslow Hot Spots Land Supply Update" (PDF). Western Australia Planning Commission. November 2011. p. 13. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Towns Directory". Australian Heritage. Heritage Australia Publishing. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Jabyn (12 July 1923). "Beadon - The New North-West Port". The Western Mail. p. 42. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  11. ↑ Global Measured Extremes of Temperature and Precipitation. Archived 25 May 2012 at archive.today National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  12. ↑ "Australian Temperature Extremes" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. 1 April 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  13. 1 2 Birch, Laura (13 January 2022). "Onslow in the Pilbara reaches 50.7C, equalling Australia's hottest day on record". ABC News. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "Australia equals hottest day on record at 50.7C". BBC News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Australia matches its hottest day on record as Western Australia town goes above 50C". The Guardian. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Climate Statistics for Onslow". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Daily Rainfall for 1912 - 005016 - Onslow". Climate Data Online. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Daily Rainfall for 1935 - 005016 - Onslow". Climate Data Online. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Daily Rainfall for 1936 - 005016 - Onslow". Climate Data Online. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Tropical Cyclones Affecting Onslow". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Daily Rainfall for 1961 - 005016 - Onslow". Climate Data Online. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "TC Trixie Report" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. p. 4. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  23. ↑ "TC Trixie Report" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. p. 1. Retrieved 9 May 2014.

Further reading

  • Webb, Martyn and Audrey (1983) Edge of Empire Artlook Books ISBN 0-86445-028-1
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.