Clear
sky, 26 degrees, 7.30am.
Packed
up and said our farewells to Tom & Sandy and to Dave as Cheryl was at work.
Headed
north up the freeway then turned off towards Toodyay. Climbed up the Darling
Scarp to 170m above sea level. Stopped at Noble Falls for a look. Flowing well
after the recent rain.
Walked
across the creek – not sure what the name of the creek is though.
Noble
Falls.
Continued
downstream for more photos back to the falls.
Steve
found a hole in the tree that makes a nice frame for my photo.
Into
Toodyay. Checked out the old photos and maps at the Info parking bay.
We
had passed the turnoff into the National Park.
Drove
down to the Avon River and parked in the shade near Duidgee (means place of
plenty) Park. There is a miniature railway from here which operates on Sundays.
Walked down to the river. The new Newcastle Bridge (name of Toodyay before it
was changed) is a lot higher than the old one.
Nice
and tranquil. The water is very tannin stained.
Found
the flood level marker. The bottom on Steve was looking at is from January
2000, 126.15m (AHD). The next one up was July 1983, 127.48m (AHD). AHD stands
for Australian Height Datum and means height above sea level. The two above are
estimated levels for 25 year (128.4m) and 100 year levels (129.70m). Flooding
of the river occurred regularly in times gone by with the record height
recorded in 1872. After a series of floods in the 1950s the Avon River was
‘trained’ from Beverley to Toodyay by bulldozing a channel and removing
vegetation and islands from the bed and banks. This was intended to allow flood
waters to flow more quickly. Known as the ‘River Training Scheme’ it has had
catastrophic environmental effects such as the silting up of the deep,
permanent pools along the river.
Up
the other side and into town. The original settlement was founded in 1831 by
Ensign Dale and George Fletcher Moore on the Avon River five kilometres west of
the present town. After regular flooding it was decided to move near the site
of the convict depot (est 1851) in 1860. The town was named ‘Newcastle’ after
Lord Lincoln, Duke of Newcastle but after losing a lot of mail to Newcastle in
NSW the name was changed to Toodyay in 1910.
There
are history signs on the rubbish bins opposite the historical site. Checked out
the Church of St Stephen, built 1862.
George
Hasell built a lot of the buildings in Toodyay (St Stephens, Connor’s Mill and
the Gaol). He arrived in Fremantle in 1852 aboard the ‘Marion’ as a convict. In
1849 he had been sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for stealing cattle, but was
granted his ticket of leave after only one day in the colony. As a ticket of
leave prisoner he was required to work on the Convict Hiring Depot in Toodyay,
after which he chose to stay on and establish his business.
Across
the road is Connor’s Mill. Daniel Connor was a convict that went on to work as
a hawker after he received his conditional pardon. He then bought land here and
built a store. He became very successful and bought more land and expanded his
business interests, including this flour mill. The next owner modernised the
inside in 1902 and put in a set of rollers to process the wheat more efficiently.
He sold it to Mr Lukin who built an electric lighting plant behind the mill and
commenced supplying power to Toodyay in 1920. Flour milling ceased after 1921
when a major fire destroyed all the milling equipment. The building was then
re-conditioned for use as a power station and in 1926 the Toodyay Road Board
took over its management. In 1955 Toodyay was connected to the State power grid
and the building fell into disrepair until 1975 when it was restored. The old
steam engine still runs though with a belt from a generator. This generator
once served London in the Blitz. It is
open as a museum but as we have done a few now we skipped it.
Got
some maps etc from the Info Centre. Bit of information about the ‘secret
societies’ of yesteryear.
Continued
on our town walk looking for rubbish bins with info on them.
In
the Cola Café they had mist keeping everyone cool. It was quite warm in the sun
but still comfortable to walk in.
Glad
we have improved road conditions from the old days.
Continued
up the street.
Stopped
at the Post Office to check out all the local produce, arts and crafts. There
were jams, pickles, oils, soaps, emu products, sandal wood nuts and wonderful
pottery faces. The emu products come from the oldest emu farm in Australia.
The
Victoria Hotel is being refurbished. It was originally built as a store then
used as at hotel in 1886. During WW1 the hotel was a rendezvous for the Light
Horse Brigade.
It
has a billard saloon next door which was built in 1899. Originally the billards
room was at the back and there were two shops out the front, a barber and a
betting shop during the 1930s.
With
the establishment of the Convict Depot in 1851, ‘Ticket of Leave’ men and
aborigines were recruited as firemen. But the fire brigade had little support
from the local magistrates and patrolling police forces took over the brigade
with the assistance of convicts from the Depot. In 2002 the fire brigade moved
and the building became an art gallery. It is now up for lease.
The
old bank is still a bank.
The
Library was the Mechanic’s Institute which is apt as the MI were libraries of
instructive literature for the working man.
Lots
of old houses still exist too.
Steve
thought this would have been a good hotel as it had a skating rink.
Headed
back then went down to the river through the Newcastle Park. A long footbridge
made of plastic goes across the river to the High School. Looking up then down
stream.
In
the park is a memorial to Charlotte Davis who was the first white woman to set
foot on the Swan River Settlement in 1829 after arriving on the ‘Parmelia’. I
think the rock is meant to look like West Australia.
Checked
out some news articles in the window of the town newspaper. Info about a couple
milking camels in Morangup (interesting story) and the refurbishment of the
Victoria Hotel.
Another
little house, built about 1870 (used to be shingle roofed) used to be a Sisters
of Mercy Catholic School from 1884 to 1902.
Found
a good fixer-upper. Lovely heritage building in a field next to the Avon River.
Bargin.
The
Jarger Stores were originally the Oddfellows Hall, built in 1897. One of the
secret societies. It is now home to Christmas 360 – it is a huge area filled
with Christmas decorations. Open from April to December though you can order online
all year round. Andrea would be in heaven. We have seen lots of Christmas shops
and are amazed they can make such a good living from them.
More stores.
Another
two secret societies had their meetings in the Unwin’s Store. The Masonic Lodge
used it from 1899-1925 then the Toodyay Buffaloes (RAOB) met there till the
1950s. Next door a single story building in 1862 and was the first hotel to be
established in Newcastle and was licenced as the Newcastle Hotel. In 1862, J
Monger opened a second hotel at the southern end of the terrace also naming it
the Newcastle Hotel. The second owner of this hotel, Thomas Mead was then
forced to change the name to the ‘Freemasons’ Tavern. When the town well ran
dry in 1869 the owners allowed people to use the Hotel well to draw drinking
water.
Continued
back towards the van. This is Monger’s Cottage or Butterly House because of its
association with the two oldest European families to settle in Toodyay. This
six bedroom house was built around 1870 for John Monger. Between 1889 and 1897
the WA Bank leased the building. The first bank manager was James Mitchell, who
later became WA Premier. In 1910 it was bought by Mr and Mrs J Butterly who
carried renovated it.
Back
to the van for lunch. Decided it was cooler in the shaded van then down in the
park. Drove across the rail line which is the one I went on when I took the
train from Kalgoorlie to Perth and back last April. It was dark when I came
through this town on the way to Perth and then I was asleep on the way back to
Kalgoorlie after all night flying and sitting in McDonalds!!
Drove
up to Pelham Reserve where two big water reservoirs are.
There
are a few walks from here. There are labels visible for wildflowers when in
season. Great view over the town and I can just spot the river.
Down
the hill to the Newcastle Gaol. The tell-tale broken bottles on the high walls
show that it was a gaol. This building was actually the third lock-up to serve
this area. The first on was in Old Toodyay and was completed by the end of
1852. A second small lock-up was probably constructed between 1852 and 1856 as
part of the original development of the Convict Depot two miles upstream. Three
cells in the Depot barracks became the only means of detention in the district
when the Toodyay Gaol closed in July 1861. The following month notorious
bushranger Joseph Bolitho Johns (Moondyne Joe – we read about him in the
Fremantle Gaol – he was transported to Australia in 1853 as a convict and lived
in the hills of Toodyay in an area known as ‘Moondyne Springs’. He was arrested
for stealing a horse in 1861) escaped from the Depot lock-up prompting the
construction in 1863-64 of the new, more substantial building which remains
today. It operated as a gaol until early 1900s when a new lock-up opened across
the road behind the police horse stables. The gaol was utilised as a private
residence in the 1930s by the Dorizzi family. Tragically three of the sons were
killed in the Sandakan Death March in Borneo during WW2.
On
the first Sunday in May each year they hold a Moondyne Festive in Toodyay.
Everyone dresses up as convicts, floozies, coppers etc. It is a free festival –
would be a great one to attend.
Headed
off towards Northam following the river. Turned off the main road and over
Dumbarton Bridge where ‘Wikicamps’ said there was a camp spot. It was the old
road to the causeway. We pulled up and had a cuppa and enjoyed the view and
lovely breeze.
There
was another spot further upstream so we continued on. Missed the turn off up to
the Windmill Hill Cutting but I think it would have been too steep with the van
on. Here’s a photo from the brochure. Construction took place between 1963 and
1964 and it is the deepest cutting on the standard gauge railway line, with
approximately 3 million cubic metres (mostly rock) excavated.
Turned
onto Katrine Road to cross over the river then spotted a van on the other side.
No room to turn around so we continued along the narrow road – the scenic drive
into Northam. Passed a lovely house with heritage barn which is up for sale –
Katrine Station (est 1858) and then spotted the heritage Glenfield Homestead we
saw for sale in town. The yellow flowers were gone as they have been harvested.
Found a place to turn around then checked out the historical plaque.
Back
across the river and parked next to an old fireplace. Went for a walk to see
what other sites were available and chatted with a couple from Bullsbrook.
Found a plaque about this reserve.
Steve
found an amethyst on the ground. Might bring us good wealth or was it good
customers for a business, Erica used to tell us to have them in the window of
our shop.
Decided
where we had parked was fine and set up camp. Got out the chairs and had a
cuppa enjoying the view of the Avon River. Lots of birds singing and
unfortunately lots of cars and trains as we are just beside the road and the
railway line is only a bit further over.
The
kookaburras were having a lovely laugh as twilight came – reminds us of home.
Had dinner outside watching the water flow by.
It
was still 35 degrees in the van so we enjoyed a cold shower tonight. All the
windows and vents are open and we even got out our fan for a while as the
breeze had disappeared.
Margaret
texted that she and the great grandsons had gone fishing and had done very
well. I said Bob will be happy to have fresh fish but she said she sent them
home with the kids – Bob needs to catch his own!! Ha ha.
No
TV reception here so we went through more photos from two years ago – have
missed a lot of day so have some catching up to do.
9pm
the wind sprang up and did it blow – cooled things down a bit.
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