Historical eventDecember 281989

1989 Newcastle earthquake

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.

Everything on December 28Original source

In context

When
Thursday, December 28 198937 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1989-12-28.

Place: New South Wales, Australia.

Type: earthquake.

Catalyst / how it started

Cause In early 2007, a United States academic claimed that coal mining in the region triggered the earthquake, although earthquake activity has been present in the area at least since European settlement first occurred. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] That is in addition to the statement by the former head of the earthquake monitoring group at Geoscience Australia , Dr David Denham, that the Newcastle earthquake occurred some distance from mining activity: "The depths of the focus of the earthquake was about 13,

What happened

The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was an intraplate earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales, on Thursday 28 December. The shock measured 5.6 on the Richter scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160. The damage bill has been estimated at A$4 billion, including an insured loss of about $1 billion.

December 28 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 19891989 Newcastle earthquake
  2. 1991Murder of Vivianne Ruiz
  3. 2006War in Somalia (2006–2009)
  4. 2009Dhondup Wangchen
  5. 20092009 Karachi bombing
  6. 2011Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency
  7. 2014MS Norman Atlantic
  8. 2014Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
  9. 2018Netflix
  10. 2019December 2019 Mogadishu bombing
  11. 20252025–2026 Iranian protests

Also in 1989

  • September 11East GermanyHungary announces that the East German refugees who had been housed in temporary camps were free to leave for West Germany.
  • September 13ApartheidLargest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa, led by Desmond Tutu.
  • September 14Typhoon Sarah (1989)Typhoon Sarah dissipated after causing extensive damage along an erratic path across the Western Pacific, killing 71 in Taiwan, the Phili…
  • September 14Standard Gravure shootingThe Standard Gravure shooting where Joseph T. Wesbecker, a 47-year-old pressman, killed eight people and injured 12 people at his former…
  • September 16Boris YeltsinDuring a tour of the United States, Soviet politician Boris Yeltsin visited a grocery store in Texas that had a major impact on his views…
  • September 181989 Burkina Faso coup attemptAn attempted coup d'état against Burkina Faso president Blaise Compaoré is uncovered and foiled.
  • November 17Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures released The Little Mermaid to theatres, beginning the Disney Renaissance.
  • November 17Velvet RevolutionCold War: Velvet Revolution begins: In Czechoslovakia, a student demonstration in Prague is quelled by riot police. This sparks an uprisi…

Everything we record for 1989 →

Sources

Cite this page

“1989 Newcastle earthquake”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/1989-newcastle-earthquake-1989-december-28, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did 1989 Newcastle earthquake happen?

December 28 1989 — 37 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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