West Toodyay (previously known as Toodyay; colloquially known as Old Toodyay) was the original location of the town of

Toodyay, Western Australia Toodyay (, nys, Duidgee), known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding i ...

. It is situated in the Toodyay valley, north east of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. The Toodyay valley, discovered by Ensign

Robert Dale Lieutenant Robert Dale (1810–20 July 1853) was the first European explorer to cross the Darling Range in Western Australia. Robert Dale was born in Winchester, England in November 1810, son of Major Thurston Dale and Helen Matthews. Throug ...

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 survey of its boundaries was finalised in December 1838 after the necessary adjustments had been made to the boundaries of two neighbouring land grants. Apart from the erection of the

Military Barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

on the left bank of the Avon River, little development of the town could take place until after the first official survey had been carried out. Assistant Surveyor Arthur Hillman carried out this survey in September 1849 at a time when the Avon River was in flood. Most of the subsequent development took place along the right bank of the Avon River. River Terrace was aligned to the curve of the river's course and was crossed by six streets. Town lots along River Terrace were numbered R1 to R42, "R" indicating the right bank of the river. Along the ridge behind, North St and Fitzgerald Terrace paralleled the curve of River Terrace. Town development quickened after the arrival of the convict era and the setting up of the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot at the townsite in 1851. A total of three inns were established:

The Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

, The Highland Laddie and The Queen's Head. A number of homes, stores, schools and a church were built. Toodyay show gnangarra -102

A second

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

, owned by John Herbert, became the centre of social activity for the town. In November 1853, the Toodyay, Northam, and Victoria Plains Agricultural Society was formed at a meeting held at the Royal Oak. Thereafter the Society's annual events, which included an Annual Show, were held at the Royal Oak in either October or November of each year. Some forty years later, and after several name changes, the Society became known as the Toodyay Agricultural Society. For many years it has been customary for the

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional ...

and other dignitaries to attend the Toodyay Agricultural Show, which is held each year in October. In 1852, the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot was moved to a new and larger site approximately upstream from the original townsite of Toodyay. Following severe flooding in 1857 and 1859, a new town was established in 1860 on that land which was excess to the requirements of the convict hiring depot; it was named Newcastle, after the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...

. The town of Newcastle was gazetted on 1 October 1860.

West Toodyay

Over the following years, Newcastle's name became confused with that of Newcastle in New South Wales. On 6 May 1910, the Western Australian town of Newcastle was renamed to Toodyay and the original town of Toodyay became known as West Toodyay. In 1920 the

West Toodyay School The West Toodyay School, originally named the Toodyay School, was a government school in West Toodyay in Western Australia. It opened on 6 February 1899 as a replacement for the original Toodyay Valley government school, which had been closed ...

was closed and its 24 students were transferred to the Toodyay school as part of the "consolidated schools" plan, an experiment based on practices in the US and Canada where larger schools were considered more advantageous to children's education. In 1928 the West Toodyay school building was sold by tender and removed.

Railway

The location "West Toodyay" on the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

narrow gauge railway system was the point where the Clackline-Miling railway headed north, and crossed the Avon River. With the development of the

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

railway line through the Avon Valley in 1966, West Toodyay was a junction where the narrow gauge Miling railway connected with the newer standard gauge system, and a marshalling yard existed. In the deregulated railway system, West Toodyay yard is now a shire depot, a

crossing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

location, and a junction where the Miling railway proceeds north over the Avon River. During the era of the

Spirit of the West Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which ma ...

railway service, the location was also known as the Avon Siding, due to the lack of any crossing or shunting facility at the Toodyay railway station site.

Historic significance

The precinct is listed on the

Shire of Toodyay The Shire of Toodyay is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, beyond the north-eastern limits of the Perth metropolitan area. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Toodyay. Hi ...

's Municipal Inventory as having a "considerable" level of significance, with historic aesthetic and social value. The area includes: * Church of Sancta Maria * Everett's Cottage * Ford crossing * James Forbes' store * Reserve and well *

Samuel Ferguson's cottage Sam Ferguson's cottage was built in the latter part of the 1800s on lot R12 in the original town of Toodyay, now known as West Toodyay, Western Australia. Its walls were whitewashed and its roof was thatched. Roses, almond trees and a flurry of o ...

* The Highland Laddie * The Queen's Head * The Royal Oak (1849–1851) * The Royal Oak (1853–1860) * Toodyay Barracks * Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1851) *

Toodyay Gaol Toodyay Gaol stood on lot R66, close to the first Convict Hiring Depot, in the original townsite of Toodyay, now known as West Toodyay, in Western Australia. Although generally referred to as a gaol, it was technically a lock-up, holding pris ...

* Toodyay Valley School * West Toodyay Bridge *

Notes

References