7.30am
22.7 degrees, few clouds and cool breeze.
Headed
to Northam which is renowned for having over 185 heritage listed buildings – get
your walking shoes on Stephen!!
Pulled
over to check out the huge GBH grain silos that have been painted. One side a
quirky look at ballooning by London-based, Phlegm. The other side is by an
American artist, Hense.
Across
the Avon River with a nice fountain.
The
huge Avon Mill.
Around
to the Info Centre and park beside the river. Checked out the start of the Avon
Descent.
Another
suspension bridge for Steve to conquer his fears on!! Nice view from up here.
Zoomed
in on some white birds hoping to see a white swan but they were pelicans. The
white muted swans were brought here by settlers over 150 years ago.
More
rubbish bin information – great idea.
Walked
along the edge of the river – is this the predicted height it could flood to or
one that happened 100 years ago!!
Across
the longest suspension bridge in Australia. Steve is fine with these wide ones.
Top
view downstream.
A
carved friend at the other end.
Still
trying to spot a white swan.
Lots
of lovely old homes.
Shame
you can only go ballooning from April to December, but we have done that in
Mareeba so Steve can keep his feet on the ground. Would be pretty to fly over
the canola fields and the river. Oh look there are white swans in the last
picture!!
Crossed
the road bridge – zoomed in on some birds further upstream.
No
swans there but then I spotted a white thing further up and it was a white swan
– yeh.
Another
bin with info about the Flying 50 – like the Longford Revival Festival we went
to in Tassie.
Info
about the Avon River.
Back
to the van for a cuppa. Interesting art in the park. The sound sculpture was
very good.
A
bit of the town’s history.
Into
town – nice mural by Perth artist combining the Flying 50 and ballooning.
Along
Fitzgerald Street are small statues and info. This one shows a soldier having a
bite to eat at the Win-The-War Tearooms.
Across
the road is an old Bank.
More
rubbish bin information and great photos. Fitzgerald Street certainly looks
different now.
The
Shamrock Hotel (est 1866) is huge. It is being renovated to become the
restaurant franchise, Dome.
A
sculpture about the Chemist.
This
was the Bank of Australasia. (The info booklet I got is missing half the places
mentioned on the walking map – didn’t realise till I started writing my blog.)
Another
sculpture of a saddle.
The
Northam Hotel opened in 1887 and was Northam’s third public house. It is still
functioning but now called the Northam Tavern.
Checked
out an Op Shop for some magazines for Steve – got a few so that will keep him
occupied while I catch up on my blog!!
The
old Shire Council offices.
Further
along are the car yards and this sculpture of the Holden Ute.
Across
the road was a morbid sculpture of the fence of the local vet.
Onto
Peel Street to the lovely building built in 1862 by one of the old families in
town, Throssells.
Back
down Wellington Street to St Johns Anglican Church. So good they built two of
them.
Further
along is the Old Girls School, late 1800s.
View
across town to Mt Ommanney – will check out the lookout up there later.
The
old Post Office - from 1873 to 1909. The town’s focus moved to Fitzgerald
Street so a new post office was built there.
The
Temperance Hall, built 1899.
Another
St Joseph’s School (est 1899) – they are everywhere. This area is for secondary.
A new primary school has been built further up the hill. Huge bell behind the
church.
Beautiful
Town Hall.
The
old Fire Station beside the Presbyterian Church which is now the Link Theatre.
The
old Masonic Lodge now called Stone Court.
Next
to that is the Uniting Church. I wonder if that was the original one down the
back.
Continued
walking up the hill of Gordon Street – lots of lovely old homes here.
Some
rate special mention like Byfield House (1902). It is being refurbished.
Uralia
House (1902) is spectacular and has an interesting history.
Fermoy
House (1897) is now part of St Joseph’s primary school.
Looking
down Gordon Street to town.
Found
a lovely mural.
The
‘new’ Post Office (1909).
Outside
the Water Board offices is a locking bar pipe. Part of the Golden Pipeline.
The
Northam Advertiser.
The
Funeral Home we read about earlier.
Sir
James Mitchell.
Amazing
photos of Fitzgerald Street in flood in 1926 (July 24).
Great
historical mural.
The
Commercial Hotel.
The
Coles Store building was built in 1937 and is significant as one of the few
inter-war Art Deco buildings in Northam.
In
the park was a statue of Hugo Throssell.
On
either side of the modern Woolworths Store are two banks. Westpac and
Commonwealth.
Anzac
Day march through town.
Another
great mural.
Back
to the truck and van. Drove across the river just above the Weir.
Steve
spotted a park near the Weir so we pulled in to have lunch there. Ended up
eating in the van as the smell here is terrible. The sludge caught on the edge
of weir stinks to high heaven. Great photo of the little power boats starting
the Avon Descent over the weir.
Drove
up to Mt Ommanney Lookout. Nice view.
Zoomed
in on the Avon River near the main traffic bridge as it is hard to anywhere
else.
As
we headed down to the road again the Golden Pipeline was winding its way from
Mundaring through here and then across the Avon River heading to Kalgoorlie.
Back
across the river past the Avon Bridge Hotel which is on the other end of the
Avon Mill.
Headed
out of town towards York. Crossed over the Golden Pipeline again.
Crossed
over the Avon River again as we head to York driving beside another railway
line.
Checked
out a camp spot off Wikicamps but it was just a gravel area between the road
and the railway – not a very nice spot and no shade.
Into
York to the 24 hour free camp but unfortunately it will close at 7pm to get
ready for the Australia Breakfast tomorrow. We continued 10km south to
Gwambygine Park – a Landcare camp area (though on my info it is marked as just
a day use spot). Looks like it was set up a long time ago and has since been
left unmaintained by Landcare though there are bins and toilets. Stopped and
chatted with a couple from Bridgetown who said that gas BBQs aren’t working so
no Aussie Day BBQ tomorrow.
Found
a spot and parked up beside lots of ant holes – they settled down after a
while!!
Chatted
with the other couple for a while then after drinks we went for a walk to check
out the boardwalk. It is in need of a lot of work.
Bit
of information to read.
They
have done well with the Landcare as you can hardly see the river for the
trees!!
36
degrees in the van at dinner time but we aren’t complaining. Getting to use our
fans at long last!!
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