Kooragang is the northernmost and largest suburb of the city of Newcastle, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Dominated by Kooragang Island, the eastern part of the suburb is primarily industrial, while the western part of the suburb consists of nature reserves. Covering an area of, at the, there were no people living in the suburb.
Geography
Kooragang extends from in the southeast, to the eastern bridge at in the northwest, a distance of. Except for a small portion of land in Hexham, the north and south arms of the Hunter River forms Kooragang's borders. At its greatest, the suburb is approximately from southwest – northeast. Vehicular access to Kooragang is via three bridges. From the Tourle St bridge is the primary access to Kooragang, Stockton and Port Stephens from suburbs. In the east of the suburb, the Stockton Bridge connects Kooragang to Stockton. Access to the western part of the suburb is via the Ash Island bridge at Hexham. Kooragang is generally low and flat, with some build-up in the industrial area in the eastern part of the suburb, on Kooragang Island.
History
Kooragang is dominated by Kooragang Island, which was created by reclaiming land, combining a number of smaller islands in the Hunter River estuary. The original islands were separated by mud flats and various channels and were first explored and surveyed by Europeans in 1801. Larger islands included Ash Island, Upper Moscheto, Moscheto Island, Dempsey Island, and Spit Island. Ash Island was the largest of the islands, named because of the Ash trees that grew upon it. By 1821, much of Ash and other timber on the island had been harvested. In 1827 Alexander Scott was granted of land there. After settling on the island in 1831, it grew as a community with many visitors. The original wooden bridge linking the island to the mainland was eventually replaced with a concrete bridge that is still used today. Fifty families lived on the island until it was devastated by the 1955 Hunter Valley floods. By the 1960s, industrial development closer to Newcastle resulted in a land reclamation scheme that combined the smaller islands into what is now Kooragang Island. The western part of Kooragang island, which is now home to the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project, is still known as Ash Island.
Heritage listings
Kooragang has a number of heritage-listed sites, including 131 Radar Station, which is on Ash Island.
Kooragang Island
Coal exports
The eastern and more well-known part of Kooragang Island is primarily a coal export port. It was established in 1984 with a capacity of 15 million tonnes per annum. By 2013 the capacity had been increased to 120 million tonnes per annum. In July 2013a record high of 10.3 million tonnes of coal was processed through the port of Newcastle, with 83 of the 114 ships being loaded at the Kooragang terminal. Transport of coal to Kooragang Island from Hunter valley coal mines is achieved via the Sandgate Flyover, with coal trains being moved through the port by a balloon loop.
Other industries
In addition to coal exports, many other industries exist on Kooragang Island, some having existed there since before the coal export port was established. Industries include Mountain Industries, which operates a bitumen plant, Blue Circle Southern Cement, SimsMetal recyclers and Orica Kooragang, which manufactures agricultural fertiliser and explosives for the mining industry. Orica Kooragang opened in 1969.
Electricity generation
A single 600 kW wind turbine was installed on the island between Cormorant Road and the Hunter River in 1997, generating enough power for 150 homes per year. However, its future came into question because it sat on land that may be needed for a future ship turning basin. It was eventually dismantled on 29 October 2014. The turbine was later installed in Tasmania.
