Western Australian Bank, Newcastle was the name of a bank building that is on Stirling Terrace in

Toodyay, Western Australia Toodyay (, ), known as Newcastle between 1860 and 1910, is a town on the Avon River in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, north-east of Perth. The first European settlement occurred in the area in 1836. After flooding in the 1850s, ...

. It was constructed in 1897-98 as an office for the bank and a residence for the bank manager and his family, replacing Butterly House. The architect was JJ

Talbot Hobbs Lieutenant General Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs, (24 August 1864 – 21 April 1938) was an Australian architect and First World War general. Early life Hobbs was born in London, the son of Joseph and his wife Frances Ann Hobbs (née Wilson). E ...

. Imported French tiles were installed on the roof. James Mitchell, who later became the 13th

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive br ...

was bank manager here in 1898. Other early bank managers were A.G. Franklin, James Johnson, F.J.G. Miller, H.T. Weston, C.G. Rhead, H.S. Campbell and A.S. Overington. On 28 March 1927 the

Western Australian Bank The Western Australian Bank was a bank operating in Western Australia from 1841 to 1927. It was formed amidst the aftermath of the sale of the first Bank of Western Australia (1837-1841), Bank of Western Australia (1837–1841), which had sol ...

amalgamated with the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia. It was established in 1817 in Sydney. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania ...

. The premises were enlarged and modernised in 1948. In 1982 the Bank of New South Wales changed its name to the

Westpac Westpac Banking Corporation, also known as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, it acquired the Commerc ...

Banking Corporation; in 1996 the building was occupied by Challenge Bank and from 2000 the

Bendigo Bank Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (trading as Bendigo Bank), is an Australian financial institution, operating primarily in retail banking. The company was formed by the merger of Bendigo Bank and Adelaide Bank in November 2007. Prior to the merger, ...

. The building has been a continuously operating banking facility in Toodyay since it first opened in the late nineteenth century. It is a single storey rendered brick and tile roofed building with prominent painted brick chimneys. There is an extension to the rear with timbered board and a tiled roof on brick plinth.

References

{{reflist Commercial buildings completed in 1898 Buildings and structures in Toodyay, Western Australia Bank buildings in Australia Stirling Terrace, Toodyay Office buildings in Western Australia