Cosmo Newbery (also spelt Cosmo Newberry) is a small Aboriginal community in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, east of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

between Laverton and Warburton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. In the , Cosmo Newberry had a total population of 74, including 64 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

History

The town is named after James Cosmo Newbery, an industrial

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

noted for his work on improving the chlorination method of

gold extraction Gold extraction is the extraction of gold from dilute ores using a combination of chemical processes. Gold mining produces about 3600 tons annually, and another 300 tons is produced from recycling. Since the 20th century, gold has been principal ...

. The area was originally leased by two returned soldiers as a

cattle station In Australia and New Zealand, a cattle station is a large farm ( station is equivalent to the American ranch), the main activity of which is the rearing of cattle. The owner of a cattle station is called a '' grazier''. The largest cattle stati ...

, then as a

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer ...

for a short time, then later became a government ration depot. The town was first settled in 1920. By 1953 the

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost a ...

set up a

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

but eventually, in 1976, gave the land back to the Aboriginal people living in the area at that time. The town operated for 11 years and was then abandoned for 4 years. In 1989 four families moved back into the town, quickly followed by others. The town now has a

health clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care need ...

, school, a hall,

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

s, communication centre, fuel station and shop. The town is one of the stops along the

Great Central Road The Great Central Road is a mostly unsealed Australian highway that runs from Laverton, Western Australia to Yulara, Northern Territory . It passes through a number of small communities on the way. It forms part of the Outback Way which goes ...

that tracks through the

Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. History In 1875, British-born Australian explore ...

and eventually connects with the

Gunbarrel Highway The Gunbarrel Highway is an isolated desert track in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. It consists of about of washaways, heavy Corrugated road, corrugations, stone, sand and flood plains. The Gunbarrel Highway c ...

; there is a roadhouse operating in the town.

Native title

The community is located within the Yilka and Yilka #2 and Sullivan Family (WCD2017/005)

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty to that land by another colonising state. The requirements of proof for the recognition of ab ...

determination.

Governance

The community is managed through its incorporated body, Cosmo Newberry Aboriginal Corporation, incorporated under the ''Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976'' on 31 January 1991.

Town planning

Cosmo Newberry Layout Plan No.1 has been prepared in accordance with ''State Planning Policy 3.2 Aboriginal Settlements''. ''Layout Plan No. 1'' was endorsed by the community on 19 May 2000 and by the

Western Australian Planning Commission The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) is an independent statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia that exists to coordinate strategic and statutory planning for future urban, rural, and regional land use. The WAPC f ...

on 21 August 2001. The Layout Plan map-set and background report can be viewed at Planning Western Australia's web site.

References

External links

* Planning Western Australia's official site – Cosmo Newberry Layout Plan (https://www.dplh.wa.gov.au/information-and-services/state-planning/aboriginal-communities/aboriginal-community-maps/layout-plans) {{authority control Shire of Laverton Aboriginal communities in Goldfields–Esperance