NORTHAM WA

CARAVAN TRIP 2008 DON PUGH
Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about 97 kilometres (60 mi) north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. With a population of slightly over 6,000, Northam is the largest town in the Avon region. It is also the largest inland town in the state not founded on mining.

[edit] History
The area around Northam was first explored in 1830 by a party of colonists led by Ensign Robert Dale, and subsequently founded in 1833. It was named by Governor Stirling, probably after a village of the same name in Devon, England. Almost immediately it became a point of departure for explorers and settlers who were interested in the lands which lay to the east.

This initial importance declined with the growing importance of the other nearby towns of York and Beverley, but the arrival of the railway made Northam the major departure point for fossickers and miners who headed east towards the goldfields.

A notable scandal occurred in 1933 when the town's entire Aboriginal population were rounded up by police and dumped in the Moore River Native Settlement. The Northam Shire Council said they had scabies and were a health risk.[1]

During the 1940s and 1950s in Northam there were extensive camps for displaced European refugees and immigrants.

Steve Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone, non-stop, in a balloon when he launched from Northam on 19 June 2002, and returned to Australia on 3 July, landing in Queensland.


[edit] Government
Northam consists of the Town of Northam and Shire of Northam. After 53 years of debates and attempts, these two councils merged on 1 July 2007 to form one new council called the Shire of Northam.


[edit] Railways

Location of Northam, Western AustraliaNortham is a major railway junction, and serves as the commercial centre for much of the western Wheatbelt. The dual gauge Eastern Railway terminates here and becomes the standard gauge Eastern Goldfields Railway. Narrow gauge radiates both south of the town to York and beyond (Great Southern Railway), and north to Goomalling, another rural railway junction.

The Northam railway station is used for the Prospector and Avonlink rural train services. The original station on Fitzgerald Street was opened in 1900 and closed in 1966 when the new Eastern Railway route became operational.[2]

The Australian Railroad Group have a large railway yard named Avon Yard west of the town.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• WA
• WESTERN
• AUSTRALIA
• FARMING
• RAILWAY
• SETTLEMENT
• AVON
• VALLEY
• RIVER
• CARAVAN
• TRIP
• 2008
• DON
• PUGH

[DON434]

THANKS Glen for not taking offence.  It was just some fun with film editing, but too many windows.

[WundowiePOlicePhotos]

You should make a video on 10 reasons not to move to Northam the town going down the tubes.

[GAPfilmsanddocos]

Nice presentation.

Glad to see some of my footage being used.