Northam () is a town in the Australian state of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about east-northeast of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in the Avon Valley. At the 2016 census, Northam had a population of 6,548. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region. It is also the largest inland town in the state not founded on

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

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 A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of politica ...

, probably after a village of the same name in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. 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 nearby towns of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and

Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known fo ...

, but the arrival of the railway made Northam the major departure point for prospectors and miners heading east towards the goldfields. A number of older buildings have heritage significance and still serve the community. File:Northam, Flour Mill and Avon Bridge.jpg, Northam Flour Mill and Avon Bridge File:Northam, St John's Church.jpg, St John's Church (1890), Charles Bird arch. File:Northam, Post Office.jpg, Northam Post Office (1909), Hilton Beasley arch. File:Former post office.jpg, Original Northam Post Office (1873),

George Temple-Poole George Thomas Temple-Poole (born George Thomas Temple, 29 May 1856 – 27 February 1934) was a British architect and public servant, primarily known for his work in Western Australia from 1885. As Superintendent of Public Works, and then Pri ...

arch.

Camps and centres

Northam Migrant Accommodation Centre

During the 1940s and 1950s in Northam there were extensive camps for

displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...

s and immigrants from

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. The Northam Migrant Accommodation Centre closed in September 1951. It had been the first place of residence in Western Australia for approximately 15,000 immigrants from the

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

. During the peak immigration period, Northam had the largest immigrant receiving facilities within the State and the third largest in Australia. By 1950, the camp housed 4,000 people and two new blocks of huts were built to accommodate them all. By May 1954, 23,000 migrants had passed through the Northam Camp once the Accommodation Centre had closed. A significant number of these post-war arrivals eventually settled in the Northam area.

Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre

On 18 October 2010 the Yongah Hill (YHIDC) centre was announced as being established at the former Northam Army Training Camp. It was not opened until early 2012, however, and, after it was downsized from the original 1500 expected occupancy, talk of expansion has been happening. It is run by

Serco Serco Group plc is a British company with headquarters based in Hook, Hampshire, England. Serco primarily derives income as a contractor for the provision of government services, most prominently in the sectors of health, transport, justice, ...

for the

Department of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

Australian Border Force The Australian Border Force (ABF) is a federal law enforcement agency, part of the Department of Home Affairs, responsible for offshore and onshore border control enforcement, investigations, compliance and detention operations in Australia. Thr ...

officers are also present at the centre. In September 2018 a riot broke out at the centre and some buildings were set on fire, after a detainee was reportedly found in his cell injured after a suicide attempt. The detainee, who was a refugee, later died. Also in September 2018, a guard was alleged to have sexually assaulted a detainee.

Geography

The town and hinterland of Northam are located in the Avon Valley - so named after the river the Avon River. It has been periodically flooded, and man-made banks protect the town from inundation. ''The Avon'' is a name commonly used by organisations, newspapers and sporting groups. The river is spanned by a pedestrian

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges, which lack vertical ...

; at , it is the longest such bridge in Australia. Burlong Pool a pool just south of the town was known as the Burlong swimming pool, and in the 1890s the location of the source of water for the Goldfields water trains.

Climate

Northam has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

( Köppen ''Csa'') with hot dry summers and cool wet winters.

2011

A severe

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...

lashed the town and surrounding areas on 27 January 2011 resulting in roofs being ripped off, trees being uprooted and power lines being brought down. About 50 houses were damaged in the town as a result of the storm but no injuries were reported.

Government

For many years Northam consisted of the Town of Northam and

Shire of Northam The Shire of Northam is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, beyond the northeastern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area centred on the town of Northam itself. The Shire covers an area of . In 2007, it mer ...

. 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. The public sector is a large employer for many residents of Northam and surrounding areas. With many state government departments operating out of the town. Services Australia operates a Centrelink office in the town.

Tourism

Northam has a number of tourist attractions, including

hot air ballooning Hot air ballooning is the activity of flying hot air balloons. Attractive aspects of ballooning include the exceptional quiet (except when the propane burners are firing), the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird's-eye view. Since the b ...

, wineries, cafes and restaurants, museums, hotels and motels.

Transport

Northam is connected to Perth via coach services N3 and N5, and rail services '' Prospector'' and ''

MerredinLink The ''MerredinLink'' is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa between Perth and Merredin. History The ''MerredinLink'' was introduced in June 2004 when the '' AvonLink'' from Perth was extended from Northam ...

'' provided by

Transwa Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east. The Transwa system provides transport to the major regional ...

Railways

Northam is a major railway junction, and serves as the commercial centre for much of the western Wheatbelt. The

dual gauge In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to ca ...

Eastern Railway terminates here and becomes the

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...

Eastern Goldfields Railway.

Narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

radiates both south of the town to

and beyond ( Great Southern Railway), and north to Goomalling, another rural railway junction.

Current railway station

Northam railway station is served by

's ''

AvonLink The ''AvonLink'' is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa between Midland and Northam. History The consideration of revitalising passenger services in 1993 saw the ''Avonlink Ministerial Committee'' formed ...

'' and '' Prospector'' rural train services, and Great Southern Rail's ''

Indian Pacific The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – thus, like ...

'' to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

Original railway station

The original station on Fitzgerald Street was opened in 1900 and closed in 1966 when the new Eastern Railway route became operational. The layout of the pre-1966 narrow gauge railway also had a busy junction at East Northam; this was removed on the completion of the new standard gauge railway.

Avon Yard

The

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

originally created it as the ''Avon Marshalling Yard'', and more recent operators in the yards such as Australian Railroad Group have named it the

Avon Yard Avon Yard is a railway yard west of Northam, Western Australia. It lies on the southern side of the Avon River on the Eastern Railway between Toodyay and Northam. History As part of the project to gauge convert the East-West rail corridor ...

Airport and roads

Education

: Northam has a senior high school that conducts classes from Year 7 to Year 12. It also has 3 public primary schools Northam Primary School, West Northam Primary School and Avonvale Primary School that conduct classes from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

to Year 6. Northam has a private Catholic school, St Josephs, which provides an alternative to public schools. St Josephs conducts classes from kindergarten to Year 12. Central Regional TAFE has a campus located near the senior high school.

Sport

Association Football (Soccer) has been played in Northam since just after World War Two. Due to the many European immigrants living at the Holden Camp a league was formed comprising nine teams from Northam and one from Wundowie. Many of the teams were based on ethnicity such as: Italian; Dutch; Polish; Hungarian; Romanian; Yugoslav; Austrian; German and Bulgarian. In recent years, Northam United FC was a men's team whilst Northam Springfield FC is a children's football club in its tenth season (2021). Springfield play in the winter against their rivals Toodyay Junior Soccer Club. Northam has some very committed sporting teams.

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

is an obsession with many of the people of Western Australia. Northam has two teams that play in the

Avon Football Association The Avon Football Association is an Australian rules football competition in the Avon Valley region of country Western Australia. History The AFA was formed in 1959 through the merger of the East Avon FA (EAFA) and Avon Valley FA (AVFA). In ...

competition, Federals and Railways. Field and indoor hockey,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

, and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

also attract significant numbers of players and spectators. Individual sports such as tennis and cycling including BMX are also popular. The BMX State Championships were held in Northam in 2003 with 3,000 competitors and spectators attending the event for over a week with Northam competitors showing their dominance in the sport in the state. Three local riders who participated in this event (Dale Reynolds - then ranked 3WA for 18 Men's, Chris Marris - then ranked 1WA for 18 Men's, and Kyle Martin - then ranked 4WA for 18 Men's) have subsequently completed cross country rides from Adelaide to Perth demonstrating the interest in cycling in Northam.

Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – September 3, 2007) was an American businessman and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer. He was the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon and in a fixed-wing aircraf ...

became the first person to fly around the world alone, non-stop, in a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

when he launched from Northam on 19 June 2002, and returned to Australia on 3 July, landing in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. In July 2016 Russian adventurer and balloon pilot Fedor Konyukhov took off from Northam airfield to attempt a solo nonstop round the world balloon flight. He completed his circumnavigation, covering , in 11 days, 4 hours and 20 minutes, beating Fossett's record by 52 hours. Between 1952 and 1956 several motor racing events were held using streets within the town. The first circuit used was on the south side of the Avon River, but this was considered too dangerous, so a new circuit was built in 1956 on the north side of the river.

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

is held at Northam Racecourse by the Northam Race Club. The track held its first race in 1863 and has about 22 race meetings during the year. The town is also home to

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Austral ...

and

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tr ...

Events

The annual Avon Descent river race starts in Northam. The Northam Flying 50's, a historical car racing event, is held each year in early April, attracting around 5,000 spectators. The Northam Agricultural Show is held annually on a Friday and Saturday in mid-September. The Kep Ultra running race is held each year on the

Western Australia Day Western Australia Day or simply WA Day (formerly known as Foundation Day)King, Rhianna (2012)– WA Today. Published 10 April 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012. is a public holiday in Western Australia (WA), celebrated on the first Monday in June ea ...

long weekend in early June. The race starts in Northam and includes 100 km and 75 km events finishing at

Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The dam impounds the Hele ...

Military history

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Wilberforce, an area on the Spencers Brook to York Road was the area set up for the breeding and selection of horses to be transported to overseas theatres of war involving Australian horseman in particular the iconic 10th Light Horse Regiment. Also in November 1920, an area at Noggojerrring was purchased by the Federal Government for £7,000. It was an area of 875 acres(350 hectares) of farming land and was located four miles (6.5 kilometres) north of Northam on the Northam - Pithara Road. Of that area, 860 acres (344 hectares) were cleared and divided into 11 paddocks. The property was well watered, and carried a wind mill, two dwellings, three sheds, and a stable. The Goomalling railway bisected it. The Federal Government's purpose was the settlement of tubercular soldiers. The place was christened Anzac Farm. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Northam was the location of a number of important strategic military camps, depots and installations being the most concentrated of military activity areas in Western Australia. Due to its strategic geographical location and being close to water, the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, close to strategic railway junction, as it was close to the coast but inland, Northam became an important military hub. The installations, camps, and depots were some of those developed in the Wheatbelt during 1939–1945, located within the Shire of Northam, some of which still exist today. * Northam Army Camp including the 38th Camp Hospital, training and hospital * 6 Commonwealth Ammunition Depot (6CAD) to become 51 Supply Company, Springhill, ammunition storage * US Navy 7 Naval Ammunition Depot (7 NAD), Springhill, torpedo storage * RAAF No 10 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (RAAF 10IAFD), Burlong,Units of the Royal Australian Air Force - A Concise History aircraft fuel storage * Muresk Agricultural College, Muresk, intelligence * Australian Army 7th Supply Depot (7SD), Spencers Brook, food, clothing storage and distribution * RAAF No 6 Replenishment Centre, Muresk, ammunition storage * 118th Australian General Hospital (118 AGH), Northam, hospital, later to become 71 Camp Hospital * Werribee Army Camp, near Wundowie, transport and anti-tank * RAAF Meenaar, Meenaar, RAAF airstrip File:No 1 Fuel Tank - RAAF No.10IAFD - Northam.jpg, No.1 Fuel Tank of the WWII RAAF No.10 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot, Burlong, Northam File:Underground Tank - RAAF No. 10 IAFD, Burlong 1.jpg, Underground tank - RAAF No.10 IAFD, Burlong, Northam File:Ammunition Bunker 1 - US Navy 7NAD, Springhill.jpg, Ammunition Bunker - US Navy 7NAD, Springhill File:Ammunition Storage - RAAF No. 6 Replenishment Centre, Muresk 1.jpg, Ammunition Storage - RAAF No. 6 Replenishment Centre, Muresk File:Detonator Hut - US Navy 7NAD - Springhill.jpg, Detonator Hut - US Navy 7NAD - Springhill

Notable people

Northam is the birthplace of the following people: ;Politics * Kim Edward Beazley (1917–2007), federal government minister *

Ian Laurance Ian James Laurance (born 30 April 1940) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1974 to 1987, representing the seat of Gascoyne. He was a minister in the government ...

(born 1940), state government minister *

Carmen Lawrence Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, s ...

(born 1948), state premier and federal government minister *

Ken McIver Kenneth Finlay McIver (26 October 1928 – 23 September 1988) was an Australian politician who served in the Parliament of Western Australia between 1968 and 1988. He represented Northam and Avon for the Labor Party. Prior to entering politics ...

(1928–1988), state government minister *

Frederick Henry Piesse Frederick Henry Piesse, CMG (6 December 185329 June 1912) was a farmer, businessman and politician who is credited with much of the early development of the region around Katanning, Western Australia. Piesse was born at Northam, Western Au ...

(1853–1912), state government minister * Ian Pratt (born 1937), state upper-house member *

David Templeman David Alan Templeman (born 21 November 1965) is an Australian politician who has been a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia since 2001, representing the seat of Mandurah. He is Leader of the House and Minist ...

(born 1965), state government minister ;Sport * Arnold Byfield (1923–2015), first-class cricketer, WAFL and VFL footballer * Leon Davis (born 1981), AFL footballer * Bruce Duperouzel (born 1950), first-class cricketer, WAFL and VFL footballer * Cruize Garlett (born 1989), AFL footballer *

Darren Glass Darren Glass (born 14 May 1981) is a former Australian rules footballer who played as a full-back for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Northam, Western Australia, he attended Carine Senior High ...

(born 1981), AFL footballer *

Robbie Haddrill Robert "Robbie" Haddrill (born 28 January 1981) is a defender for the South Fremantle Football Club, having previously played for the Fremantle Dockers in the AFL for seven seasons. Haddrill attended Aquinas College, Perth before being draft ...

(born 1981), AFL footballer * Eric Glass (1910–1985), WAFL, VFL, and VFA footballer * Geoff Marsh (born 1958), Test cricketer * Ashley McGrath (born 1983), AFL footballer *

Cory McGrath Cory McGrath (born 4 February 1979) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Carlton and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL), South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League ...

(born 1979), AFL footballer * Stephen Milosz (1955–2022), first-class cricketer * Harry Morgan (1889–1956), WAFL, VFL, and SANFL footballer * Alistair Smith (born 1990), AFL footballer * Brennan Stack (born 1988), AFL footballer * Bobby Hill (Australian footballer) (born 2000)-AFL Footballer * Sydney Stack (born 2000)- AFL Footballer * Deven Robertson- (born 2001)- AFL Footballer ;Others * Ben Carlin (1912–1981), first to circumnavigate the world in an amphibious vehicle * Elizabeth Backhouse (1917–2013), novelist, scriptwriter and playwright * Kate Leeming, explorer, ultra-distance cyclist and Australian

Real Tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

champion * Ragnar Garrett (1900–1977), Australian Army officer * Hugo Throssell (1884–1933), Victoria Cross recipient

Notes

External links

History of Northam
www.westaustralianvista.com. Retrieved 17 September 2006.
Official Northam town website
Retrieved 17 September 2006. {{Authority control Northam, Western Australia, Towns in Western Australia Avon River (Western Australia) Shire of Northam