Toodyay, known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding in the 1850s, the townsite was moved to its current location in the 1860s. It is connected by railway and road to Perth. During the 1860s, it was home to bushranger Moondyne Joe.
William Sykes was an English convict, transported to Western Australia for manslaughter.
The Toodyay Memorial Hall is a heritage-listed building on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was originally built in 1899 as the Newcastle Municipal Chambers, then substantially extended in 1910, with further extensions in 1956–57 and 1990–92.
Stirling Terrace is the main street of Toodyay, Western Australia, originally called New Road until 1905.
St John the Baptist Church is a former Roman Catholic church located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia, built 1863–64.
Freemasons Hotel, now Toodyay Hotel, is a historic building on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was built for William Tregoning, and originally licensed in 1861 as the Newcastle Hotel. The building was classified by the National Trust, and is listed on both the Register of the National Estate and the Australian Heritage Database.
The town of Toodyay, Western Australia, was not always known by that name. Initially Toodyay was located in what is now West Toodyay before repeated flooding caused the town centre to migrate to the area around the Newcastle convict depot creating the town of Newcastle. After approximately 50 years of confusion the name of Newcastle was changed to Toodyay and the original Toodyay became known as West Toodyay.
West Toodyay was the original location of the town of Toodyay, Western Australia. It is situated in the Toodyay valley, 85 kilometres (53 mi) 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 3 miles (4.8 km) further upstream. Newcastle was renamed in 1910 to Toodyay, and the original site became known as West Toodyay.
Owen Hackett (1809–1862) was one of a number of Enrolled Pensioner Guards (EPGs) that came to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868. Their role was to guard and oversee the work of the prisoners transported to Western Australia.
Francis Kirk was one of a number of Enrolled Pensioner Guards (EPGs) who came to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868, to guard and oversee the work of the prisoners transported to Western Australia.
David Gailey (1807–1881) was one of a number of Enrolled Pensioner Guards (EPGs) who came to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868. Their role was to guard and oversee the work of the prisoners transported to Western Australia.
Charles George Ellery was an Australian bootmaker who worked for the city of Toodyay in Western Australia. Ellery was assisted for a time by his brother James, and then his daughter Constance who continued the family business after his death in 1937. His name is associated with his home, known as the Shoemaker's House, and shop, known as Ellery's Arcade. He was one of the Toodyay's civic leaders sitting on a number of boards and committees.
Jonathan Somers (1862-1928) was an Australian machinery manufacturer and mayor of Toodyay. He arrived in Toodyay as a blacksmith from Newcastle, New South Wales, and over time built up a major industry manufacturing vehicles and machinery using local timbers. Examples of his work won recognition at the 1899 Western Australian International Mining and Industrial Exhibition, also known as the Coolgardie Exhibition, and in 1900 he won first prize for a wagon at the Glasgow International Exhibition. His contribution to public life led to him becoming the Mayor of Newcastle in 1908. It was largely due to his influence as mayor that the town of Newcastle was renamed Toodyay in 1910.
The Toodyay Barracks and its stables, erected in 1842, were the first buildings constructed in the townsite of Toodyay, Western Australia. The Barracks were also the first government buildings within the Toodyay district. Situated on the left bank of the Avon River and a little upstream from the ford, the Barracks overlooked a long pool, which soon became known as the Barracks Pool. In the early 1840s, Toodyay Resident Magistrate John Scully had requested military protection as a means of controlling a problem with the local indigenous people. Governor John Hutt agreed at the time to temporarily station a mounted native policeman to keep order.
The Queen's Head was a hotel in West Toodyay in Western Australia in the latter half of the 19th century.
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 Church of Sancta Maria was the first Roman Catholic church built in the original townsite of Toodyay in Western Australia. It was consecrated in 1859, and served as church, priest's residence, and schoolhouse for the Toodyay Valley Catholic School. It later housed the Toodyay Valley government school.
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 old English flowers produced such a wonderful display that artists from all around flocked to paint it. The cottage was the home of Samuel Ferguson and his wife Ellen. It was situated on what was originally Toodyay town lot R12 on the west corner of River Terrace and what is now called Cottage St. On the opposite corner stood the old buildings of John Herbert's Royal Oak inn.
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 on 23 October 1898. The new Toodyay School was situated near the left bank of the Avon River on what was previously known as Toodyay suburban lot 30. It was within easy distance of what became the site of the West Toodyay Bridge.
The Royal Oak, established in 1849, was the first inn set up within the original townsite of Toodyay in Western Australia. The relatively modest building was owned by William Herbert and stood on lot R28. Most inns established in the 1840s were simple cottages where a spare room or two had been put aside for use by guests. Although Herbert had applied for lot R28 in 1845, it was not officially granted until after the first survey of the township had been carried out in 1849. His publican's license, however, was granted in July 1849.
