Alison

On the trail of Historic Towns, Western Australia – Toodyay and Northam

We decided to do a three day trip just recently to visit some country towns in Western Australia. These towns were once thriving communities, established at the beginning of the twentieth century by early white settlers. Nowadays these towns rely on the historical landmarks to attract visitors.

Our first stop was to see the silo art which is located just outside of Northam. These incredible paintings were done by artists Phlegm and Hence. Try as I might I cannot find much about Phlegm, only that their paintings are all over the world. Hense is Alex Brewer, an American artist, originating in Atlanta, Georgia.

It is wonderful to see these grey drab buildings being brought to life and there are now many dotted around Australia.

After this we had a quick stop in Toodyay, with a population of approximately 1,500. Before European settlers came to these towns they were populated by the Noongar people.

Toodyay

Population – 1,500. Established in 1836.

  • Built in 1864 and last renovated in 2018
  • The Freemasons Hotel
    Built in 1860 and renovated in 1994
  • Built in 1910
  • Built in 1897 and renovated in 1970

Katrine

Next on out trail was a stop at Katrine, a tiny village just outside of Northam where I spotted a church.

St. Saviours Church
Katrine

Northam

We finally got to Northam around 4.30 pm and checked into the Farmers Home Hotel. This is a 150 year old newly renovated building which has 16 rooms. It is a magnificent building, the only downside being no decent restaurant. The Dome coffee house is situated in the building and offers guests a dinner menu. I can’t say we were impressed with the menu.
However we did have a fabulous room and in the distance you could see the Avon River. We managed a quick walk along the banks of the river before heading back to the bar.

Farmers Home Hotel
Our room
Our view on a very bleak day!
Inside the hotel
  • River Avon
  • Typical house
Sculptures made of old agricultural machinery parts

  • By Amok Island
Northam Flour Mill
With reflection

The next day we checked out and began the long drive to Kalgoorlie, this would take around 6 hours including stops. My dear hubby loves a good long drive so this was perfect for him.

I will be featuring more historical towns in my next post. I hope you can make the journey with me!

37 comments

  2. What an interesting trip Ali, now is definitely such a good opportunity to see more of our own countries isn’t it! Loved the silo art and your choice of hotel. The room looks fabulous just a shame about its restaurant not being so inspiring. Hope your weekend is going well, we’re spending it in London. Marion.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks for your nice comments Marion. It was an interesting trip and I have more to come. How lovely a weekend in London, a hotel or with friends. What part? Look forward to your posts 😎

      Liked by 1 person

      • We’re staying in a hotel near Gloucester Road celebrating our younger son’s birthday. We’ve just walked around Coal Drops Yard and are now following the canal towards Paddington. Just having a lunch stop now at Camden Lock, wish you were here with us!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Yes me too. We visited Coal Drops Yard when we were there last. Also walked from Camden to Little Venice ..I did a couple of posts about it. Have loads of fun 🥰

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Enjoying this tour from my kitchen chair. Thank you Alison. Love your descriptions of artists and local buildings.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. The silos will be fabulous when they’re all finished. I am always amazed by the beautiful work and cannot begin to imagine how the artists are able to visualise and then complete these large scale pieces. Your hotel room looks lovely.

    Liked by 1 person

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