Situated at the foothills of the northern Drakensberg, Newcastle, in the north-west corner of KwaZulu-Natal along the Ncandu River, is one of the province’s major industrial centres.
It is, according to Wikipedia, South Africa’s 10th-largest urban centre, with large-scale industry concentrated around chemical, iron and steel manufacture.
Newcastle attracts thousands of visitors annually to see the battlefields as the city, like most settlements in this part of KwaZulu-Natal, has a history of involvement in the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer wars of the 19th century.
Around Newcastle are major battle sites such as Majuba, during which O’Neill’s Cottage was used as makeshift hospital for wounded British troops. The peace treaty to end the first Anglo-Boer War was signed at this cottage, which is now a museum.
Also at Newcastle is Hilldrop House, once the home of the British writer H Rider Haggard, author of King Solomon’s Mines and She.
Other tourist attractions in and around Newcastle are the Carnegie Art Gallery, home to some of the best examples of African art, and the majestic Hindu temple on Kirkland Street.
The temple, said to have the largest domed temple roof in the southern hemisphere, was erected by the local Indian population. The Chelmsford Nature Reserve outside the town is one of several major parks in the region.
Newcastle has expanded substantially in recent years, both in economy and population, with new developments such as Newcastle Mall, Blackrock Casino, Amajuba Hydroponic Techno Park, Victorian Mall and Meadowlands residential estate a few examples.