Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1851)
In 1851, the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot was set up in the original township of Toodyay, now called West Toodyay. Temporary accommodation for the Enrolled Pensioner Guards was also constructed and surveys were carried out to enable more permanent accommodation to be built close by. The Enrolled Pensioner Guards were men who had either completed their duty of service or who had sustained injury while on active service. They had then volunteered as guards on the ships transporting convicts to Western Australia. Once the men were released from permanent duty, other duties of a peace keeping or military nature were expected of them. Many of these men became warders in charge of convicts. The decision to turn the colony into a penal settlement occurred after a good many settlers petitioned the Government to do so. The colony had struggled to survive during the 1840s. Governor Charles Fitzgerald supported the proposal and the colony became a penal settlement in 1849. The numb ...
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West Toodyay
West Toodyay (previously known as Toodyay; colloquially known as Old Toodyay) was the original location of the town of Toodyay, Western Australia. It is situated in the Toodyay valley, north east of Perth. The Toodyay valley, discovered by Ensign Robert Dale in 1831, was opened up for settlement in 1836. The original site for the town of Toodyay was determined in 1836 and its boundaries were finalized 1838. The first survey of the town was carried out in 1849. After several serious floods, the decision was made to move the town of Toodyay to higher ground. In 1860, the new town of Newcastle was established further upstream. Newcastle was renamed in 1910 to Toodyay, and the original site became known as West Toodyay. Old Toodyay The town of Toodyay was established on the banks of the Avon River where the valley gave way to gentle slopes of fertile soils with hills on all sides. The original site for the town of Toodyay was determined by Governor James Stirling in 1836. The s ...
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