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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Toodyay Military Barracks and stables, built by William Criddle in 1842 were the first buildings constructed.
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
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.
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 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.
The Avon River flooded in 1847 and 1849.
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
The Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1st) was established in 1851, in the township of Toodyay, now called West Toodyay.
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.
In 1851 surveys were also conducted to enable the construction of permanent accommodation for the Guards.
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 Toodyay, Northam and Victoria Plains Agricultural Society was formed at a meeting held on 15 November 1853 at the Royal Oak hotel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Charlotte Herbert and her daughter Esther, circa 1856. Charlotte Herbert died on 1 April 1885 |
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.
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.
On 30 October 1856, the first Agricultural Ball was held.
The foundation stone for the Catholic Church of Sancta Maria was laid on Sunday 8 March 1857.
Moondyne Joe, the notorious bushranger, was imprisoned in Toodyay for stealing a horse in 1861, but he escaped.
The Highland Laddie inn went out of business after the owner became insolvent, and the building washed away in the disastrous flood of 1862.
The Toodyay Road Board was formed in 1871 and James Everett was elected as one of its founding members.
On 19 November 1877 the first Newcastle Municipal Council was elected and meetings were held in the Newcastle Mechanics Institute hall.
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.
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.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.
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.
Reverend Matthew Gibney, the Lord Bishop of Perth, laid the foundation stone of St Aloysius Convent of Mercy in July 1903.
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.
In 1920 the West Toodyay School was closed and the 24 students were transferred to the Toodyay school.
There was a crash in the wheat price at the end of the 1920s causing great hardship for many farmers.
By the 1930s all that was left of the Royal Oak hotel was the dining room.
The Avon River flooded in 1857 and 1859.
The Police Station at West Toodyay closed in 1859.
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).
A New Town is Built
1860s
The River Avon flooded in 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.
The Newcastle Mechanics' Institute formed in 1866.
The town well ran dry in 1869.
This is the only known photograph of Joseph Bolitho Johns (1830-1900), better known as the Western Australian bushranger Moondyne Joe. |
The town well ran dry in 1869.
1870s
The Toodyay Young Men's Reading Club was founded on 30 August 1871.
Queen's Head circa 1870s, Toodyay, WA. with James Everett in the foreground |
Ernest Giles on camel back surrounded by people at S.P. Phillips property Culham, Toodyay, Western Australia, November 1875. SLWA |
1880s
1890s
1900s
Drummond's Steam Flour Mill, Bolgart Rd, Old Toodyay, WA. c1900 |
The River Avon flooded in 1902.
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 |
Photograph of the Freemasons' Hotel (originally named the Newcastle Hotel) on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, WA, 1904-1910 |
St Stephen's Anglican Church, Toodyay, WA, circa 1890s - 1910s. Shire of Toodyay Newcastle Gaol Museum collection |
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 |
Photograph taken on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Western Australia looking west onto shop fronts including R.W. Norman's Toodyay Cash Store. c1910, Toodyay, WA |
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 |
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 |
Newcastle Hotel (more recently known as the Toodyay Tavern) ca 1911, Toodyay, WA |
HAWTHORNDEN FARM, TOODYAY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 1911, Aussie~mobs |
WWI
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
Road into Toodyay, WA, c1923, SLWA |
The River Avon flooded in 1826.
1930s
Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 8 February 1931 |
Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 13 August 1931 |
Last mounted parade of the 10th Light Horse Regiment at Karrakatta, Toodyay Troop 031606PD: Toodyay Troop, 1932, SLWA |
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 |
1940s and WWII
WX12374 D. R. Smith, Toodyay. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 2 October 1941 See more |
WX12373 Pte. K. J. Robinson, Toodyay, WA. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 2 October 1941 |
1950s
Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, WA, c1950s |
1960s
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 |
Around 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 |
Remains of the stone-lined well, Old Toodyay, WA, 2015 (Bmorc44) |
Possible remains of convict built road of the original route from Toodyay and Perth, WA, uncovered by works undertaken by Main Roads |
Newcastle (Toodyay)
The main part of the Toodyay, WA, Courthouse was constructed in 1896. It replaced the first courthouse on the site built in 1867 |
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" |
Toodyay Manor on Stirling Terrace was originally the Newcastle Hotel in Toodyay, WA, built 1862 |
The Toodyay Memorial Hall on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A. was originally built in 1899 |
Toodyay Gaol Museum, WA |
Jager Stores on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA, was built in 1897 when the pensioner guard cottage occupying the site was demolished |
Freemasons' Hotel on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, WA, was built for William Tregoning, and originally licensed in 1861 as the Newcastle Hotel. |
Connor's Cottage was originally built as a dwelling and has also been used as a bakery, Toodyay, WA |
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 |
The Newcastle Gaol was built in 1865 to replace two previous lock-ups at old Toodyay, WA |
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" |
The Victoria Hotel , Toodyay, WA, originally established in 1888 |
Former Demasson's House and Shop is situated on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A. The shop was built around 1872 for Daniel Connor. |
The Toodyay Garage on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, W.A was built in 1926 for Charles Henry Doust |
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 |
The Toodyay, WA, cemetery was established in 1861 |
Building for Toodyay Young Men's Reading Club, WA, main building finished 1874 |
Victoria Billiard Saloon, Toodyay, WA, built in the mid-1890s |
Things To See and Do