Toodyay, W. Australia - Old Gaol (jail) - postcard c.1970s

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  'Greetings from Toodyay, WA' - shows the old gaol
• Publisher: Wildlife Sound Studios, Balingup, Western Australia
• Postally used: no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Toodyay (Nyunga: Duidgee), known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt^[2][3] region of Western Australia, 85 kilometres (53 mi) north-east of Perthon Ballardong Nyoongar 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 original village of Toodyay was one of the earliest inland towns in Western Australia. A habitat of the Ballardong Noongar people for thousands of years, the Avon Rivervalley was discovered by Ensign Robert Dale in 1830,^[4][5] leading to exploration by settlers including James Drummond, Captain Francis Whitfield and Alexander Anderson. The first village was established in 1836. Drummond established his homestead Hawthornden nearby. The original location is 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"^[6] and the original settlement came to be referred to as "Old Toodyay". In May 1910, due to confusion with the New South Wales city of Newcastle, a name-change to Toodyay was proposed^[5] and the original townsite, which had by this time declined substantially, became "West Toodyay".^[7]

The meaning of the name is uncertain, although it is Indigenous Noongar in origin — maps in 1836 referred to "Duidgee", while some believe it was named for a local woman named Toodyeep who accompanied early explorers in the area.^[8][9] The Shire of Toodyay's official history gives the meaning as "place of plenty".^[5] On the other hand, local anthropologists Ken Macintyre and Dr Barbara Dobson have postulated "that Duidgee most likely mimics a birdcall whose song once reflected the rich seasonal habitat of the bulrush-fringed pools and creek-lines of the Toodyay Valley", possibly the restless flycatcher or one of that family.^[10] According to Noongar belief, a bird calls its own name. This name "Duidgee" is preserved in the riverside recreation area "Duidgee Park".

Toodyay is also known as "the place that is misty and foggy".^[11]

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.^[12]

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.^[12] The historic architecture of shops and residences along the main street, Stirling Terrace, presents a distinctive frontage termed the Stirling Terrace Streetscape Group.^[13]

Some of the buildings are also listed on the Australian Heritage Database. They include the Freemasons Hotel,^[14] the Victoria Hotel,^[15] and Urwin's Store^[16] on Stirling Terrace, and Butterly's Cottage^[17] on Harper Road.