Located 82km from the Perth CBD in the Avon Valley, Toodyay is part of the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.
The original townsite, founded in 1836, was located 4.8 km from the present-day town, which was established in 1860. With its picturesque setting and
well-preserved 19th-century heritage buildings, Toodyay is both charming and historic.
West Toodyay (originally known as Toodyay) should not be confused with the current Toodyay (previously known as Newcastle).
Ballardong Noongar People
Noongar people, according to early observers, differed in some ways from their neighbours. The use of the kangaroo skin cloak by the Noongar in the colder months is a notable example.
Another difference from
other groups was the Noongar axe, called a
kaju, as well as a saw-like knife, called a
tapa.
The Aboriginal Dreamtime stories tell of a period when the creator beings made the land, created humans and gave them the kinship system and the laws.
Songlines for Aboriginal
people are the marks that the creator beings left on the landscape during the Dreaming. These tracks can travel across the land or sky.
The Wagyl is the Noongar form of the Rainbow Serpent. This snake-like creature created local landscape features according to Noongar stories and is strongly associated with creating the course of the rivers. Burlong Pool, a section of the Avon River between Spencers Brook and Northam was known to the Noongar as a place where the Wagyl had a
summer resting place.
There are no records for the origin of the town's name
Toodyay, though it is reported to come from Ballardong Noongar origins. One possible origin comes from a colonial botanist:
The botanist, James Drummond, wrote that Babbing a Noongar man told him that the area was called
Duidgee, a Ballardong word meaning “place of plenty"
while exploring Toodyay Brook in 1836.
He also learnt from Babbing that the cat’s tail, or reed mace plant (
Yangeti
) growing in the bed of the stream".....is one of great importance to the natives, as furnishing a great portion of the food of their women and children, for several months in the year…’’ (
Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal, Drummond 7th May 1836).
Artefact scatters may be found in the area, generally representing
campsites or hunting and gathering activities. Also, scarred trees from the removal of the bark to make coolamons (carrying vessel), shields or boomerangs.
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| A possible scar tree in the region, WA |
Ballardong Noongar Seasons:
Bunuru – hot easterly and north winds from February to March
Djeran – becoming cooler with winds from south-west from April to May
Makuru – cold and wet with westerly gales from June to July
Djilba – becoming warmer from August to September
Kambarang – rain decreasing from October to November
Birak – hot and dry with easterly winds during the day and south west sea breezes in the late afternoon from December to January.
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| Aboriginal man of Western Australia, Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 - 1901), Friday 19 May 1893 |
1830s
The Avon River was sighted by Ensign Robert Dale of the British Army’s 63rd Regiment in August 1830, during explorations to the east of the Swan River settlement.
The river was named by Governor Stirling, possibly after the Avon River in England.
In 1836 a group of
early settlers including James Drummond Snr, Captain Francis Whitfield and Alexander Anderson blazed a trail from the Swan River to Toodyay.
James Drummond, a botanist, settled at Toodyay in 1836 and established a homestead named "Hawthornden".
Many of the settlers built wattle and daub huts.
Conflict between Europeans and Noongar
people increased in 1836 around the region of Toodyay as settlers established farms and constructed buildings and disrupted the ability of Noongar people to hunt and gather food.
The Native Police, consisting of Aboriginal troopers under the command usually of a single white officer, were in the region in the 1840s. Resident Magistrate John Scully had requested military protection in the area. A temporary station and mounted native policeman were sent
to the region.
Aboriginal Troopers were brought from far from where they originated and traditionally, were hostile toward Aboriginal people located at a distance. Generally, however, there was inter-group cooperation and movement with those living close by.
1840s
The Toodyay Military Barracks and stables, built by William Criddle in 1842 were the first buildings constructed.
The colony, during the 1840s, had struggled to survive. So Governor Charles Fitzgerald supported the colony becoming a penal settlement in 1849.
A convict
hiring depot would hire out convicts to local settlers.
Edward Conlin built a large hut and operated a store on land between the Barracks and the ford in the 1840s.
The Avon River flooded in 1847 and 1849.
The first survey of the town was carried out in 1849. However, after serious flooding, it was decided that the town of Toodyay would move to higher ground.
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Duncan Macpherson: Duncan and Mary Macpherson left the highlands of Scotland in 1846 to start a new life in South Australia. Two years later they moved on to the 13-year old Swan River Colony of WA. Duncan took up farming at Newcastle (now Toodyay) and with his wife raised a family of two daughters and seven sons.
After being evicted from their property they left Newcastle in 1868 and shifted through the bush and scrub with horses and bullock wagons. They started over near the Yarra Yarra Lakes, in an unnamed district considered a remote and unworthy stretch of land between the Victoria Plains and Upper Irwin. Carnamah Historical Society & Museum |
1850s
In 1850 the Bonnie Laddie inn was established at West Toodyay by Alexander Warren. The building was believed to
have been built of rammed earth with a thatched roof. The inn was also called the Gum Tree Tavern.
The Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1st) was established in 1851, in the township of Toodyay, now called West Toodyay.
The convicts left Perth Monday, 18 August 1851, with assistant superintendent Clarkson, several bullock teams and cargo. The
group camped overnight at the Bailup Inn and perhaps near Jimperding Hill.
Coming to the steep descent of Jimperding Hill, the convicts probably chained heavy logs behind each wagon to prevent it overtaking the bullocks in front. On the evening of 20 August, the 40 ticket-of-leave holders arrived at the Military Barracks in Toodyay.
On the following morning, the convicts were to cross the swollen Avon River. This took most of the day, using ropes in the river's deep parts.
The ticket-of-leave holders built straw huts to accommodate the Pensioner Guards who would soon arrive. Later, the convicts built a road that reduced the journey to Toodyay from Perth by 12 hours.
The Enrolled Pensioner Guards were men who had either completed their duty of service or who had been injured on active service. The men then volunteered as guards on the ships transporting convicts to Western Australia.
Heavy drinking at the local inns became a problem and a lock-up, often called the Toodyay Gaol, was built.
Early in 1852, it was decided to transfer the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot to a new and larger site, about 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream.
The Royal Oak hotel was established in 1853 by John Herbert. It was the second inn of that name in West Toodyay. It is believed that this hotel was built from brick with either a thatched or shingled roof.
The Toodyay, Northam and Victoria Plains Agricultural Society was formed
at a meeting held on 15 November 1853 at the Royal Oak hotel.
During 1853 and 1854, an Emigrants' Depot was established in Toodyay, using the old straw huts, formerly the temporary accommodation of the Pensioner Guards.
In 1854, a fair was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Agricultural Society.
John Herbert of the Royal Oak was taken to the Fremantle Lunatic Asylum due to excessive alcohol, and his wife Charlotte Herbert and their son successfully managed the hotel.
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| Charlotte Herbert and her daughter Esther, circa 1856. Charlotte Herbert died on 1 April 1885 |
James Everett opened the Queen's Head hotel in 1855, on the right bank of the Avon River. Everett had arrived as a convict on board the
Pyrenees in June 1851.
Significant bushfires
were reported in the area from as early as 1853.
In 1854, almost thirty percent of the population of Toodyay were Catholics (263 people). However, there was no church nor chaplain at this time. In November 1855, Canon Raphael Martelli was appointed the parish priest of both York and Toodyay.
The Toodyay Valley School was the first government school in Toodyay. It opened on 1 October 1855 with 55 children enrolled. Boarders were received on
moderate terms. The school closed in 1864.
In November 1856, Governor Kennedy ordered the closure of the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot, which was relocated three miles upstream. No longer required, the Pensioner Guard Barracks also closed.
On 30 October 1856, the first Agricultural Ball was held.
The Agricultural Society was important in the happenings in the Toodyay Valley; being involved in such issues as roads, land sales,
the convict system, the Emigrant's Depot, bush fire control and native dogs.
The foundation stone for the Catholic Church of Sancta Maria was laid on Sunday 8 March 1857.
The Avon River flooded in 1857 and 1859.
The Police Station at West Toodyay closed in 1859.
A New Town is Built
1860s
A new town called Newcastle was built 2 km further upstream in 1861 and named "Newcastle" after the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Duke of Newcastle (confusion with Newcastle in New South Wales led to the town being renamed Toodyay in 1911).
Moondyne Joe, the notorious bushranger, was imprisoned in Toodyay for stealing a horse in 1861, but he escaped.
The River Avon flooded in 1862.
The Highland Laddie inn went out of business after the owner became insolvent, and
the building washed away in the disastrous flood of 1862.
James Everett's Cottage, built in the 1860s, is the only remaining building from the original township of old Toodyay.
On the 7th of September 1866, James Everett's store was ransacked by the notorious Moondyne Joe, the former convict and bushranger. Everett had opened his former hotel as a shop after being denied the renewal of his publican's license.
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| This is the only known photograph of Joseph Bolitho Johns (1830-1900), better known as the Western Australian bushranger Moondyne Joe. |
The Newcastle Mechanics' Institute formed in 1866.
The town well ran dry in 1869.
1870s
The Toodyay Road Board was formed in 1871 and James Everett was elected as one of its founding members.
The Toodyay Young Men's Reading Club was founded on 30 August 1871.
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| Queen's Head circa 1870s, Toodyay, WA. with James Everett in the foreground |
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| Ernest Giles on camel back surrounded by people at S.P. Phillips property Culham, Toodyay, Western Australia, November 1875. SLWA |
On 19 November 1877 the first Newcastle Municipal Council was elected and meetings were held in the Newcastle Mechanics Institute hall.
1880s
The Toodyay Valley School reopened in July 1885. The school closed on 23 October 1898.
Aboriginal Protection Act was introduced in 1886.
The construction of the Clackline to Toodyay railway occurred in 1888. A major infrastructure project which enabled the further development of agriculture in the district.
1890s
On 19 November 1877 the first Newcastle Municipal Council was elected and meetings were held in the Newcastle Mechanics Institute hall.
After gold was discovered at Kalgoorlie 1893, there were calls for the development of rail and water to go through the Avon region to the Goldfields.
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| Newcastle railway station, Toodyay, Western Australia c1897, Shire of Toodyay Newcastle Gaol Museum collection |
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| St John the Baptist Catholic Church Toodyay. WA |
The West Toodyay School opened on 6 February 1899, on the left bank of the Avon River, as a replacement for the original Toodyay Valley government school, which had been closed on 23 October 1898.
1900s
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| Drummond's Steam Flour Mill, Bolgart Rd, Old Toodyay, WA. c1900 |
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| B&W photograph of Whitfields General Store; building appears to be divided into 'shop' & 'living quarters'; sign near the door reads "Wanted: fruit - poultry - eggs - must be guaranteed FRESH". Lady in long dark skirt and white long sleeved blouse with dark tie at the neck. Man has a shirt vest, hat and trousers on and is holding a bicycle. This half of the building since demolished and in 2015 is the site of Chemist shop, next to the Wendouree Tearooms in Toodyay, Western Australia. c1900, Shire of Toodyay Newcastle Gaol Museum collection |
The River Avon flooded in 1902.
The Goldfields Pipeline was constructed by 1902.
The West Toodyay Bridge which crosses the Avon River was constructed in 1902 at a cost of £500.
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| The town of Newcastle, which is the business centre of the richagricultural district of Toodyay, WA, Newcastle Herald and Toodyay District Chronicle (WA : 1902 - 1912), Saturday 20 December 1902 |
Reverend Matthew Gibney, the Lord Bishop of Perth, laid the foundation stone of St Aloysius Convent of Mercy in July 1903.
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| Photograph of the Freemasons' Hotel (originally named the Newcastle Hotel) on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, WA, 1904-1910 |
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| St Stephen's Anglican Church, Toodyay, WA, circa 1890s - 1910s. Shire of Toodyay Newcastle Gaol Museum collection |
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| 1. The Newcastle Convent (Toodyay) WA. 2. The local printing office Toodyay, WA. Newcastle Herald and Toodyay District Chronicle (WA : 1902 - 1912), Saturday 23 December 1905 |
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| Photograph taken on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Western Australia looking west onto shop fronts including R.W. Norman's Toodyay Cash Store. c1910, Toodyay, WA |
It was declared on 6 May 1910, that
the town of Newcastle would now be known as Toodyay and the old town of Toodyay would called, West Toodyay.
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| EDUCATION IN THE TOODYAY DISTRICT-THE STATE SCHOOL AT BAKER'S HILL, 47 MILES FROM PERTH. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 4 June 1910 |
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| Laying the foundation stone of the Town Hall at Toodyay, WA, in 1910 in Toodyay, Western Australia. In 1957 this building was renamed the Toodyay Memorial Hall |
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| Newcastle Hotel (more recently known as the Toodyay Tavern) ca 1911, Toodyay, WA |
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| HAWTHORNDEN FARM, TOODYAY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 1911, Aussie~mobs |
WWI
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William Ernest Greedy #276 Service Number: 276 Rank: Trooper Unit: 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment Service: Australian Army Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918 Date of death: 17 August 1915 Place of death: Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire Cause of death: Killed in action Age at death: 26 Place of association: Toodyay, WA, Australia Cemetery or memorial details: Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, TurkeySource: AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army, Aussie~mobs |
William (Bill, Will) Henry Strahan (21 September 1869 – 25 April 1915) was a member of the Toodyay Road Board who served with the 16th Battalion of AIF. He was killed in action on 25 April 1915 (the first day of the Gallipoli Campaign).
1920s
In 1920 the West Toodyay School was closed and the 24 students were transferred to the Toodyay school.
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| Connor's Mill in the 1920s, Toodyay, WA. In 1870 a flour mill was built, located in the centre of the newly established township of Newcastle (Toodyay), for Daniel Connor who had arrived in Western Australia as a convict in 1853. In 1918 an electric lighting plant established on the premises. In 1922 Toodyay Electrical Works Ltd. (Messrs. Cock & Sons) took over control of the power station. Shire of Toodyay Newcastle Gaol Museum collection |
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| Small black and white photo of horse-drawn covered carriage, outside the old Toodyay State School building in Duke Street, in front of the town side wall. The first school bus in Western Australia, driven by Fred Green, c1920 |
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| Road into Toodyay, WA, c1923, SLWA |
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| THE TOODYAY MILLSituated on die Bolgart-road, about one and a half miles from Toodyay. It stood the test of time for nearly 70 years, but recently the owner (Mr. HUI of Northam), sold the property to Mr. and Mrs. J. Hollingsworth, who intending to rebuild on the site, demolished die old building.Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 21 December 1924 |
The River Avon flooded in 1826.
There was a crash in the wheat price
at the end of the 1920s causing great hardship for many farmers.
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| A UNIQUE DEPUTATION of Western Australian aboriginals, well spoken and in some cases well educated and well read men, waited on the Premier yesterday morning and received from him sympathetic consideration for the remedying of a number of disabilities under which they labor. The party comprises: — Top: The spokesmen, Edward Harris (Toodyay) and William Harris (North- West). Lower: left to right: Wlifred Morrison (Katanning), A. Kickett (York), Norman Harris (Morowa), Edward Jacobs (Quairading), and W. Rodney (Guildford). Mirror (Perth, WA : 1921 - 1956), Saturday 10 March 1928 |
1930s
By the 1930s all that was left of the Royal Oak hotel was the dining room.
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| Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 8 February 1931 |
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| Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 13 August 1931 |
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Last mounted parade of the 10th Light Horse Regiment at Karrakatta, Toodyay Troop
031606PD: Toodyay Troop, 1932, SLWA |
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| ANZAC day march, Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, WA, in 1934/5. Photo from the museum collection. |
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| 1. The bridge over the Avon River on the Toodyay-Bolgart Road, beyond the bridge is the town, WA. 2. The Toodyay Courthouse, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 28 July 1938 |
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| Sepia print: Light Horse soldiers at attention, in uniform in Clinton Street (now Piesse Street), Toodyay, WA, with children looking on and adults walking past. Freemasons' Hotel and stables in the background.4th from right is Victor Miles, 3rd from right is Lionel Mason. Another soldier identified as James Leonard of Sawyers Valley and also possibly a Lee-Steere amongst the other soldiers. Shire of Toodyay |
1940s and WWII
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| WX12374 D. R. Smith, Toodyay. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 2 October 1941 See more |
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| WX12373 Pte. K. J. Robinson, Toodyay, WA. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 2 October 1941 |
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| LATE W.A. NURSE. Tribute Paid by Colleague. One of the West Australian nurses to lose her life off the coast of Sumatra in February, 1942, was Sister Alma Beard, second daughter of Mr and Mrs E. W. Beard, of Toodyay. West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Tuesday 30 October 1945 (Died: Killed in Action (Murdered - POW of Japan), Bangka Island, 16 February 1942, aged 29 years) |
1950s
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| Some glimpses of early Toodyay 1. The old homestead on the Harper estate. 2. Stone and pug building on the Harper estate. 3. Prison buildings of a day when Newcastle was a convict station.Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 14 February 1952 |
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| Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, WA, c1950s |
The Toodyay District High School building of 1954 replaced an older building constructed in 1886.
1960s
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| Toodyay Shell Garage L. R. Ayling & Co....W.A c1960. The Toodyay Garage on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A was built in 1926 for Charles Henry Doust |
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| Old Newcastle Gaol, Toodyay, WA, inside before restoration commenced in 1962 (E.W.Digby) |
Around Toodyay
The only remaining building from the original township of old Toodyay |
| Everett's Cottage is the only remaining building from the original township of old Toodyay, WA. Everett, licensee of the Queen's Head Hotel, erected the cottage during the 1860s |
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| Remains of the stone-lined well, Old Toodyay, WA, 2015 (Bmorc44) |
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| Possible remains of convict built road of the original route from Toodyay and Perth, WA, uncovered by works undertaken by Main Roads |
Newcastle (Toodyay)
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| The main part of the Toodyay, WA, Courthouse was constructed in 1896. It replaced the first courthouse on the site built in 1867 |
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| Dr Growse's House is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA, was constructed in the early 1860s. The building, also known as "The Ship" |
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| Toodyay Manor on Stirling Terrace was originally the Newcastle Hotel in Toodyay, WA, built 1862 |
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| The Toodyay Memorial Hall on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A. was originally built in 1899 |
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| Toodyay Gaol Museum, WA |
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| Connor's Mill is a steam driven flour mill located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA. built in 1870 by local builder George Hassel for Dan Connor, a store owner. It was the third built in the Toodyay district. |
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| Jager Stores on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA, was built in 1897 when the pensioner guard cottage occupying the site was demolished |
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| Freemasons' Hotel on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA, was built for William Tregoning, and originally licensed in 1861 as the Newcastle Hotel. |
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| Connor's Cottage was originally built as a dwelling and has also been used as a bakery, Toodyay, WA |
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| Toodyay Fire Station, WA, was designed by architect Ken Duncan, a member of the Volunteer Fire Brigade, and was built in 1939. It is notable for its Art Deco facade |
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| The Newcastle Gaol was built in 1865 to replace two previous lock-ups at old Toodyay, WA |
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| Ellery's Arcade on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, WA. The first three shops were constructed over the period 1882 to 1891 by Jane Donegan; one of them she ran as a boarding house named "Mount View" |
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| Urwin's Store is a historically significant building located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA. The shop was originally known as Urwin's Drapery Store and it was later known as Caddy & Wilshire's Drapery Store. The Toodyay Masonic Lodge rented the upstairs rooms from 1899 before moving to its current premises in 1924 |
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| The Victoria Hotel , Toodyay, WA, originally established in 1888 |
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Monger's Cottage, Toodyay, WA, The original dwelling was constructed by John Henry Monger circa 1870, on Town Lot #1. His son, Charles Samuel Monger, resided in the dwelling and operated the family store located opposite the house and adjacent to the Bolgart Bridge (crossing the Avon River). In 1889 the building was converted to accommodate the Western Australian Bank.
This was the first bank in Toodyay. In 1910 the residence was acquired by Mr Angus and Mrs Emma Butterly (née Monger), who undertook extensive remodelling of the dwelling. |
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| Former Catholic Church, St John Baptist Church was built at the new town site in 1863-64. From that time until 1884, when the Sisters of Mercy came to Toodyay, the transept was used as a school room for Catholic children, Today, WA. |
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| Former Demasson's House and Shop is situated on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A. The shop was built around 1872 for Daniel Connor. |
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| The Toodyay Garage on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A was built in 1926 for Charles Henry Doust |
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| St Stephen's Anglican Church was built by George Henry Hasell, assisted by stonemason Esau Wetherall and a shingle splitter with the surname MacKnoe. Opened 9 May 1862, Toodyay, WA |
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| The Toodyay, WA, cemetery was established in 1861 |
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| The Ringa Railway Bridge, near Toodyay, WA. was built to carry the railway over the road which existed between Perth and Toodyay. It was part of the construction of the Clackline to Toodyay railway in 1888. |
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| Building for Toodyay Young Men's Reading Club, WA, main building finished 1874 |
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| Victoria Billiard Saloon, Toodyay, WA, built in the mid-1890s |
Things To See and Do
4 self guided walks through the historic townsite of Toodyay
Newcastle Gaol Museum Precinct
Connor's Mill
The Toodyay Miniature Railway
