Toodyay

Toodyay (Nyungar: Duidgee), 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 on Ballardong Noongar land.

Toodyay (Nyungar: Duidgee), 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 on Ballardong Noongar land. 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.

The meaning of the name is uncertain, although it is probably indigenous Noongar in origin. In an 1834 reference it is transcribed as "Toodye" while maps in 1836 referred to "Duidgee" The Shire of Toodyay's official website says that "[t]he name Toodyay is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word 'Duidgee' which means 'place of plenty', referring to the richness and fertility of the area and the reliability of the Avon River". This meaning appears to be a long-standing belief in the local community, but may be based on an interpretation of an explanation by an Aboriginal guide about the value of the location rather than the literal meaning of the word.An alternative meaning was ascribed by a research project headed by Professor Len Collard which provides the meaning as "today it is misty and foggy".Yet another version was more recently postulated by local anthropologists Ken Macintyre and Dr Barb Dobson, who provide a very erudite analysis which says that the name most likely mimics a birdcall, possibly the restless flycatcher or one of that family. The namein the form "Duidgee" is preserved in the riverside recreation area "Duidgee Park".

Before the arrival of Europeans, the Toodyay (Duidgee) region was owned by the Ballardong Noongar people, whose country extended from the Wongan Hills and beyond in the north to beyond Pingelly in the south, though the people whose land included present-day Toodyay probably numbered about 100 people and occupied the area from around Bolgart to Burlong Pool on the Avon River near Northam, a range of about 50 kilometres. It had been a focal point of Ballardong life for thousands of years.

The Avon River valley in which Toodyay was to be located was discovered for the white settlers by Ensign Robert Dale in 1830, leading to further exploration by settlers including James Drummond, Captain Francis Whitfield and Alexander Anderson.The first village of Toodyay was established in 1836, one of the earliest inland settlements in Western Australia. Drummond established his homestead Hawthornden a few kilometres to the north.

The original townsite was subject to flooding, which led to its abandonment in the 1850s, and a new townsite was established on higher ground 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) upstream.This was proclaimed by Governor Arthur Kennedy on 1 October 1860 as "Newcastle"and the original settlement came to be referred to as "Old Toodyay".

The Newcastle Gaol, in Clinton Street, completed in 1864, was in use as a state prison until 1909.It is now preserved as a heritage building and tourist attraction, the Old Gaol Museum.

In 1870, a steam-driven flour mill, Connor's Mill, was built on Stirling Terrace by George Hasell. The mill was also used to generate electricity in the early twentieth century.Saved from demolition in the 1970s, and restored to demonstrate the milling process and machinery, the mill now forms the museum section of the Toodyay Visitor Centre.

In May 1910, due to confusion with the New South Wales city of Newcastle, a name-change to Toodyay was proposed and the original townsite, which had by this time declined substantially, became "West Toodyay".The Heritage Council of Western Australia lists over one hundred places of historical significance in or near Toodyay, including cottages (some of which are now ruins), homesteads, shops, churches, parks and railway infrastructure. The State Register of Heritage Buildings includes the Gaol, Connor's Mill, Toodyay Public Library, the old Toodyay Post Office and the old Toodyay Fire Station, as well as several other historic sites. The historic architecture of shops and residences along the main street, Stirling Terrace, presents a distinctive frontage termed the Stirling Terrace Streetscape Group.Some of the buildings are also listed on the Australian Heritage Database. They include the Freemasons Hotel, the Victoria Hotel, and Urwin's Store on Stirling Terrace, and Butterly's Cottage on Harper Road.

The current Toodyay District High School was established in 1954, replacing an older building constructed in 1886.

In 1986 the town was the location used to film the movie Shame.

See also Toodyay pioneer heritage trailBy the early 1920s Toodyay was being recognised for its potential to develop into a tourist destination, with ample accommodation, its link to WA colonial past, Moondyne Joe and the Newcastle Gaol as point of interest. Being an hour's drive from Perth, present day Toodyay is a popular venue for tourists.A picturesque circuit of Toodyay Road through Gidgegannup, Toodyay, Chittering Valley and Great Northern Highway attracts motorists. Other destinations include olive oil farms, lavender farms, holiday retreats, hotels, restaurants, caravan parks, an emu farm and a public archery park.