Investigation of the Failure of the Newcastle Workers Club

The collapse of the Newcastle Workers Club during the Newcastle Earthquake in late 1989 was the subject of a Coronial Inquest, but no firm conclusions were reached. This paper describes an independent investigation of the reason(s) for the collapse. It outlines the investigation process, the data available for the investigation, eyewitness accounts not previously published, and gives a systematic overview of the progression of the investigation. It is concluded that while ground-shaking caused by the earthquake was the prime cause, failure would have been unlikely if there had not been significant deficiencies in the structure as built. These and the most likely sequence of failure events are described.