Toodyay is the natural choice for a winter daytrip
To mark the first day of a Western Australian winter, and after an absence of many months, at 5.50am on a Sunday morning I set off for the small town of Toodyay. As the road eventually dips into the valley, the low-hanging clouds and mist before me, a refulgent sunrise beyond, I feel as though I am entering one of those depictions of the sublime by Von Guerard. Driving slowly down Stirling Terrace, everything is draped in the most finely-wrought gossamer lace.
The pie, coffee and donut at the Toodyay Bakery are as divine as I remembered them. Already feeling blessed, I take a stroll through the town, observing the exteriors of such historic sites as the Memorial Hall (1899), the Old Gaol (1852), the St Aloysius Convent of Mercy (1903-1929), and the Public Library (1874).
As I wander through the convent complex — comprising the former St Aloysius Convent of Mercy, classrooms, boys' and girls' boarding houses, Dr Growse's House, the old presbytery, and St John the Baptist Church — I recall with fondness having stayed in the boarding house during a primary school camp. I note the slightly dissonant mixture of architectural styles — Victorian Georgian, Federation Arts and Crafts, Federation Queen Anne — a row of placid pigeons on one of the roofs, and a small statue of St Francis of Assisi under a tree.
Toodyay is one of WA's oldest inland towns, European settlement beginning there in 1836 in the Avon Valley region formerly inhabited by the Ballardong Noongar people. (York has the distinction of being the oldest WA inland town, having been settled in 1831.) The original settlement was known as Toodyay, but after the establishment of a Convict Hiring Depot between 1851 and 1868 about 3km upriver, a new township called Newcastle grew around the depot. Newcastle was renamed Toodyay in 1910, and the original site became West Toodyay.
Previously beset by floods and fires, Toodyay today wears its scars nobly, its mixture of immaculately restored heritage sites, more contemporary dwellings and commercial premises, its spectacular natural scenery and short (just over an hour), picturesque drive from the Perth CBD making it a natural choice for a winter daytrip. On the way there or back, don't forget to drop into the Gidgegannup Bakery & Cafe and/or Noble Falls as midway pitstops.
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West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Toodyay is the natural choice for a winter daytrip
To mark the first day of a Western Australian winter, and after an absence of many months, at 5.50am on a Sunday morning I set off for the small town of Toodyay. As the road eventually dips into the valley, the low-hanging clouds and mist before me, a refulgent sunrise beyond, I feel as though I am entering one of those depictions of the sublime by Von Guerard. Driving slowly down Stirling Terrace, everything is draped in the most finely-wrought gossamer lace. The pie, coffee and donut at the Toodyay Bakery are as divine as I remembered them. Already feeling blessed, I take a stroll through the town, observing the exteriors of such historic sites as the Memorial Hall (1899), the Old Gaol (1852), the St Aloysius Convent of Mercy (1903-1929), and the Public Library (1874). As I wander through the convent complex — comprising the former St Aloysius Convent of Mercy, classrooms, boys' and girls' boarding houses, Dr Growse's House, the old presbytery, and St John the Baptist Church — I recall with fondness having stayed in the boarding house during a primary school camp. I note the slightly dissonant mixture of architectural styles — Victorian Georgian, Federation Arts and Crafts, Federation Queen Anne — a row of placid pigeons on one of the roofs, and a small statue of St Francis of Assisi under a tree. Toodyay is one of WA's oldest inland towns, European settlement beginning there in 1836 in the Avon Valley region formerly inhabited by the Ballardong Noongar people. (York has the distinction of being the oldest WA inland town, having been settled in 1831.) The original settlement was known as Toodyay, but after the establishment of a Convict Hiring Depot between 1851 and 1868 about 3km upriver, a new township called Newcastle grew around the depot. Newcastle was renamed Toodyay in 1910, and the original site became West Toodyay. Previously beset by floods and fires, Toodyay today wears its scars nobly, its mixture of immaculately restored heritage sites, more contemporary dwellings and commercial premises, its spectacular natural scenery and short (just over an hour), picturesque drive from the Perth CBD making it a natural choice for a winter daytrip. On the way there or back, don't forget to drop into the Gidgegannup Bakery & Cafe and/or Noble Falls as midway pitstops.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Nostalgic photos show early days of life in Perth
The view of Perth from Kings Park in 1962. Picture: Supplied A stark image capturing the view from Kings Park in 1962 shows how much Perth changed in the ensuing decades. This picture and many others snapped by government photographers from the 1940s to the 1980s capture the unique local character and rapid social changes experienced throughout. The collection, curated by the National Archives of Australia, will be on display in Northbridge until November. Named from Sea to Suburbia, the images were taken by dozens of photographers employed by government agencies, who visited towns as far north as Broome, down to Pemberton in the south. Some images were taken by the Australian News and Information Bureau (now the Department of the Interior) to portray life in Western Australia as appealing — something it does successfully. From idyllic pictures of kids climbing a tree at Kings Park Adventure Playground in 1973, to men playing bowls on a perfect green at Perth Esplanade in 1962, life in Perth certainly looked serene. A picture taken from above the old Swan Brewery in 1966 shows Perth's changing skyline, while another offers a snapshot of bathers enjoying a swim at Port Beach, Fremantle in 1975. Exhibition co-curator Kellie Abbott said the photographic collection held by the National Archives is a valuable resource for Western Australian history and heritage. 'This unique exhibition depicts our way of life in an era spanning 40 years from the end of the Second World War,' she said. 'Australian Government photographers covered the west from the Kimberley to Esperance, Perth to Kalgoorlie, outback to forest, and sea to suburbia, documenting the extraordinary and the everyday. 'Some images in the exhibition showcase our beautiful, iconic landmarks, while others illustrate our changing attitudes to the environment and urban development.' Other images show WA's unique country character, one shows two rugged men repairing a station fence in 1973, while in another a forestry worker climbs a set of rickety steps up a fire lookout tree. Sea to suburbia is open at the National Archives' Western Australia Office in Northbridge until 28 November 2025.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Parties should act to stop the Senate being a launch pad for deserters
Pauline Hanson and Cheryl Kernot may give the lie to the truism that turncoats rarely prosper. But Labor's newest chum, Dorinda Cox, lacks Hanson's outraging populism and Kernot's high political achievements with the Australian Democrats, talents that allowed them to whitewash the stain of ratting on their political parties. The Western Australian Senator has deserted the Greens for Labor, handing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese an extra vote in the Senate and a black eye to former minor party colleagues already reeling after their May 3 election rout. But Cox's own actions and the leaks against her since her desertion will make it hard to put her past behind and be little more than a yes vote. A former WA police officer, Cox filled a casual vacancy in 2021 after the retirement of veteran Greens senator Rachel Siewert. Last October, the Herald 's James Massola revealed she had churned through her small parliamentary staff like a meat grinder: 20 resigned and investigations followed with Cox censured by fellow Greens. She also apologised. But they never really kissed and made up. Beaten to the Greens' deputy leadership by Mehreen Faruqi after the party's dismal election result, Cox defected to Labor. She's been there before, and had been a member of the ALP. 'I was let down by what I found to be a patronising attitude towards women and people of colour,' she said on her 2020 Greens' application form, one of many leaks against her since she jumped ship. Another leak claimed Cox signed a candidate agreement saying she would resign from parliament if she left the Greens in recognition of the effort, money and support party members donated to get her elected. She also was shown to have an obscene opinion of Hanson. Cox's term finishes next election but unlike other recent party defectors, Lidia Thorpe and Fatima Payman, Cox's prospects of retaining a Senate seat have been slightly enhanced by joining Labor. Not much though, but miles better than if she stayed a Green. Political defections are nothing new, but there does seem a rash of them lately. The phenomenon kicked off in 1996 when Hanson was preselected by the Liberals only to be dumped for her remarks about race – she won the seat of Oxley as an independent. The following year Kernot was ushered into Labor courtesy of a friendship with Hawke minister Gareth Evans, but only held Dickson for three years before voters decided for Peter Dutton. The parade of desertions continued this century. Bob Katter quit the Queensland Nationals to husband a 24-year career as an independent. Clive Palmer started funding hopefuls as disenchantment with major parties increased: Jacqui Lambie is his enduring achievement, although she, too, ratted on him.
