Discover 15 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Toodyay (Australia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Newcastle Gaol Museum, Old Newcastle School, and Connor's Mill. Also, be sure to include St Stephen's Anglican Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Toodyay (Western Australia).
Table of Contents
Newcastle Gaol Museum
Museum in Toodyay, Australia. The Newcastle Gaol Museum is a prison museum on Clinton Street in Toodyay, Western Australia, founded in 1962. The museum records the history of the serial escapee Moondyne Joe and his imprisonment in the "native cell".[1]
Address: 14 Clinton St, 6566 Toodyay
Old Newcastle School
The old Newcastle School is an historic building on Duke Street North in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was the first purpose built school in the new town site of Toodyay, and operated as a school from 1887 to 1954.[2]
Address: Toodyay, 6 Duke Street North
Connor's Mill
Museum in Toodyay, Australia. Connor's Mill is a steam driven flour mill located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.
The mill is still operational; the Shire of Toodyay protected the then dilapidated building in 1975 and established the Toodyay Tourist Centre. It is now one of the town's main tourist attractions.[3]
Address: 7 Piesse Street, Toodyay
St Stephen's Anglican Church
Anglican church in Toodyay, Australia. St Stephen's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Western Australia. The church was one of the earliest significant public buildings constructed in the town then named Newcastle.
It was built by George Henry Hasell, assisted by stonemason Esau Wetherall and a shingle splitter with the surname MacKnoe. On 9 May 1862 Matthew Hale, in his role as Lord Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Perth, consecrated the church and it opened for services. A separate bell tower made of bush timber was later constructed and this remains on site. The bell was dedicated in December 1910 by Charles Riley, Bishop of Perth. The first minister was Charles Harper. The bell was made by Fred Metters & Co. Perth and donated by Charles Maxwell Lukin.
On 20 June 1915 a memorial service was held at St Stephen's for William Henry (Bill) Strahan who had been killed in the ANZAC action at Gallipoli during World War I. Strahan was the first Toodyay casualty of the war. Widespread grief saw a large attendance (about 195 people) at his funeral—roughly 1/5 of the district's population.
The shingled roof was replaced with corrugated iron in the mid 1940s.
On 18 March 1948 the sanctuary of St Stephen's church was consecrated by Archbishop Robert Moline, as a memorial to Charles Augustus Lee Steere and Roderick Yelverton Lee Steere, who lost their lives in World War II. The extension was designed by architect F.G.B. Hawkins and built by contractor Mr. Hawkins with bricks from the demolished Nunyle Agricultural Hall.
A flooded gum (Eucalyptus rudis), said to be over 400 years old, towers over the church. The trimming of the upper branches of the tree, giving it a somewhat lopsided appearance, was to prevent it striking overhead power lines which have since been run underground. Although the removal of the tree has been threatened in the past by development it is now regarded as an icon with its historical significance well appreciated.
The architectural style of the church could be described as restrained Gothic with its pointed arched window and door surrounds. There are tall lancet windows to the north and south, with buttresses dividing the north and south façades into evenly spaced bays. The highly pitched roof is today covered by corrugated iron.[4]
Address: Toodyay, 132 Stirling Terrace
St John the Baptist Church
Catholic church in Toodyay, Australia. St John the Baptist Church is a Roman Catholic church in Toodyay, Western Australia, part of a group of church buildings. It was built and consecrated in 1963. It is the second church of that name, replacing the one built in 1863.
The new church replaced the original St John the Baptist Church across the road. The older building was in poor repair, and in 1963 when the standard gauge railway line also came through in close proximity a decision was made to re-locate. After fundraising and support from the shire and local businesses the church was officially opened on 17 November 1963 with the blessing of M. McKeon, Auxiliary Bishop of Perth. The altar and tabernacle of the new church were donated by the O'Connor estate. A brass plaque, transferred from the former church, commemorates the contribution of the Quinlan family.
Priests who have administered to the Parish since the consecration of the church are:
- 1958-67 Fr John Chokolich
- 1967 Fr Alex Morahan
- 1968-72 Fr Carmelo Di Giorgio
- 1972 Fr W. de Bruyn
- 1974-81 Fr John E.C. Lisle
- 1981-84 Fr Reginald Smith
- 1984-86 Fr T. McDonald
- 1986-92 Fr T. Hewitt
- 1993-94 Fr Kevin Hay
- April - Nov 1994 Fr Pat Russell
Then served and cared for from Northam:
- 1995-96 Fr Greg Donovan
- 1997 Fr Kaz Stuglik
- 1998-2000 Fr Robert Carrillo
- 2001-04 Frs Stephen Casey & James D'Souza
- 2004-06 Fr Geoff Aldous
- 2006-11 Frs Andrew Bowron & Richard Ye Myint
- 2012 Frs Dominic Savio & Richard Ye Myint
- 2013 Frs Pavol Herda & Emmanuel Dimobi
Toodyay Post Office
Post office in Toodyay, Australia. The Toodyay Post Office and residence is located in Toodyay, Western Australia on the corner of Stirling Terrace and Duke Street North.
It was designed by colonial architect George Temple-Poole and was part of a scheme by the Public Works Department. Over 100 post offices were built to a standard design during the late 1890s; the Toodyay Post Office is one of the few remaining examples.
Postal services began in Toodyay in 1842.
The telephone was connected in 1907, and by 1949 the Toodyay (telephone) Exchange serviced about 120 local connections. At this time the staff comprised three postal assistants and four telephonists. Nine mails were despatched weekly to Perth and ten were received via a taxi service ("Miss Toodyay" operating out of the Toodyay Garage) or by rail.
Some weather measurements were taken at the post office in Toodyay in the 1940s.
It was added to the State Heritage Register in 1995, with the listing noting that the building was "a fine example of both turn-of-the-century Public Works architecture and civic architecture of George Temple-Poole".
As at 2019, the building is no longer used for postal services which are provided from a new location on Piesse Street.[6]
Address: Toodyay, 115 Stirling Terrace
Toodyay Memorial Hall
The Toodyay Memorial Hall is a heritage-listed building on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. It was originally built in 1899 as the Newcastle Municipal Chambers, then substantially extended in 1910, with further extensions in 1956–57 and 1990–92.
The building includes two halls: the 60 m2 (650 sq ft) "Lesser Hall" or "Foyer" (the original 1899 building), and a larger 250 m2 (2,700 sq ft) auditorium with a stage.[7]
Address: Toodyay, 117 Stirling Terrace
St Aloysius Convent girls dormitory
St Aloysius Convent of Mercy classrooms and girls dormitory is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. This building is a part of the complex the Sisters of Mercy built to provide accommodation and a school. William Thomas Clark built the single storey building, tendering £4,444 for the job in 1928. Mr. Edgar Le B. Henderson of Perth was the architect. It accommodated 35 girls and was strong enough to carry another storey if required. Patrick Clune, Lord Archbishop of Perth, opened the building on 12 May 1929. As well as providing accommodation for the girl boarders along with a night study area and rooms for the sisters in charge, the premises were used annually for the Convent Ball.
The building is constructed of red brick and red corrugated iron, and has decorative cement render and timber framed windows.[8]
Toodyay Fire Station
Toodyay Fire Station is on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.[9]
St Aloysius Convent boys dormitory
St Aloysius Convent of Mercy classrooms and boys boarders dormitory is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia. This building is a part of the complex built by the Sisters of Mercy to provide accommodation and a school. This is a two-storey building and was constructed for school rooms and boys dormitories upstairs. A Grand Ball was held on 11 August 1921 to mark the opening of the new college building. The function was attended by 200 people and was held on the first floor.
It is a red bricked building and has a red tiled roof with decorative ridge tiles. There are double storey verandahs with timber panels. A leaded light window is on one side. Another side elevation has three large sash windows with the middle being wider than the two that are flanking it.[10]
Newcastle Police Stables
Museum in Toodyay, Australia. The Newcastle Police Stables on Clinton Street in Toodyay, Western Australia were constructed in 1891 and replaced the original timber stables erected on this site in 1860, which were destroyed by fire.
In 1970 the stables were classified by the National Trust and included on the permanent Register of the National Estate in 1978 as part of the Newcastle Gaol, Lock-up and Stables Group. The stables along with the 1907 police lock-up were listed separately from the gaol complex on the municipal inventory to enable nomination to the National Trust classified list.[11]
Address: Toodyay, 15-17 Clinton Street
Stationmaster's House
The Stationmaster's House on Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Western Australia was built in 1895.
This single storey painted brick dwelling with brick chimneys and corrugated iron roof has been restored. The front and side verandah has timber posts and panelling, and timber framed sash windows. There is also a half glazed door with fanlights and margin panes in keeping with the age of the property.
This house was completed in time for the new railway station that opened in 1896 on the southern edge of town. The original railhead, established in 1888, was located directly opposite the Roman Catholic Church Group of buildings even further south of the town-site. The Station Master's Residence is today one of the few railway buildings or infrastructure elements still intact along the Clackline-Toodyay-Miling railway line.
The Stationmaster's House was renovated following a fire in 2011, with the works completed in 2012. The building is currently used as a toy museum and gift shop.[12]
Toodyay Public Library
Library in Toodyay, Australia. Toodyay Public Library is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.[13]
Address: Toodyay, 96 Stirling Terrace
Leeder's House
Leeder's House is situated on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.
It was built in the early 1870s as a double storey brick construction with a shingle roof. Extensions to the front of the building at the floor level of the upper storey took place in 1884. The building was owned by William Leeder, who managed the Freemasons Hotel and later leased, then purchased the Newcastle Hotel. Leeder was a member of the Newcastle Road Board and Mayor of Newcastle. The property was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy in 1884, and they used the building as a Catholic school until 1902.[14]
James Martin's Cottage
James Martin's cottage is located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia.
It was originally a four-room construction that, unlike most on the street, was not built by convicts and was not on Pensioner Guards land. James Martin was one of four blacksmiths in Toodyay during the 1860s. He built the cottage around 1890 and lived there until his death. Martin's family lived on the property for many generations and it has since been an antiques shop and residence.[15]