The Smoky City

The first book length history of air pollution in Newcastle, NSW, from 1804 to the present. It uses two approaches: scientific and cultural. The science looks at particle matter: the fine particles created by burning fuel or windblown dust which make up air pollution. Drawing on historical sources, the cultural approach analyses how Novocastrians and visitors perceive air pollution. Taken together, the scientific and cultural lenses provide a new perspective on what has been a defining issue for Newcastle over 200 years. The book also looks to the future, focusing on attempts to manage the air pollution problem.

Newcastle, NSW, was long known as the 'smoky city'. Many Novocastrians remember when the BHP dominated the skyline and acrid hazes would regularly descend on the inner suburbs.

Smoky City tells the story of how Newcastle became the polluted place it was for many years. The book follows the city's history describing how industry, transport, manufacturing, housing and other developments slowly polluted the air, and how that, in turn, impacted people's day-to-day lives - everything from having to bring washing in several times a day to serious health issues, such as eye irritations and respiratory problems.

We meet the Novocastrians who led Australia in their campaigns to clean up the city, and how their activism eventually led to dramatically cleaner air for Newcastle.

Despite improvements from the city's worst levels of air pollution during the mid 20th century, the battle for clean air continues. Today, residents close to the coal industry's infrastructure live with the constant presence of fine black dust.

This book will interest long-term and new residents of Newcastle and the Hunter, and anyone concerned with Australia's history and environment.