From its humble beginnings in 1836, Northam became the jumping off point in the 1890s for prospectors pursuing their dreams of fabulous wealth in the gold fiedls. Thousands of diggers flocked to Northam to stock up for the 450km trek-usually on foot—across the searing outback.
The memory of those days remains in the buildings which still give much of Northam the appearance and character of last century.
The historic buildings include the Shamrock Hotel (1866), the 1860-vintage Avon Bridge Hotel, the flour main (1817), the Avon Valley Arts Society craft shop in what was once the girls’ school (1877) and post office (1892), the stately Byfield House (1898), now an art gallery and restaurant.
The old railway station, built in 1886 when rail first reached Northam, has been transformed into a museum displaying memorabilia of the golden age of steam.
Morby Farm Cottage, the simple, verandahed mud house built in 1836 by Northam’s first settler, John Morrell, was the first European building in the area. It served as Northam’s first school, church and the center of its early development.
Near Northam, the once-bustling settlement of Irish-town now comprises only the original Catholic Church and hall and, a short distance away, the luxurious two-storey Buckland Homestead, built in 1860 and credited as being Western Australia’s most stately home.
In a State that is world-famous for its black swans, Northam boasts a unique colony of white swan, descendants of birds bought back from England at the turn of the century. The swans are thriving on the Avon River in the center of town, beneath the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Australia.
Native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, emus and other bids species flourish in their natural environment at the Island Farm Wildlife Reserve.
Photo courtesy: s3media.pleasetakemeto
