Northam, Western Australia

Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about 97 km north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2011 census, Northam had a population of 6,580. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region. It is also the largest inland town in the state not founded on mining.

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, probably after a village of the same name in Devon, England. 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 other nearby towns of York and Beverley, but the arrival of the railway made Northam the major departure point for fossickers and miners who headed east towards the goldfields.

Northam was the focus of nationwide media attention in 2009 after its police arrested and detained a 12 year old Aboriginal boy on charges of receiving stolen goods after he had been given a Freddo Frog, a small chocolate snack, stolen from a shop. After missing a court date in connection with the matter, the boy, who had no previous convictions, had been arrested and held for several hours in a police cell. The boy's lawyer, Peter Collins from the Aboriginal Legal Service, suggested that the same action would not have been taken against a "non-Aboriginal kid from an affluent Perth suburb with professional parents". The police denied this, and said the boy had come to their attention in the past. The charges were subsequently dropped, and an order for legal costs of one thousand Australian dollars was made in the boy's favour.

A severe thunderstorm 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.

Northam Migrant Accommodation Centre
During the 1940s and 1950s in Northam there were extensive camps for displaced persons and immigrants from continental Europe.

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, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Belarus and Bulgaria. 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 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 for the Department of Immigration.

Climate
Northam has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters.

Government
For many years Northam consisted of the Town of Northam and Shire of Northam. 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.

River
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.

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

Transport
Northam is connected to Perth via coach services N3 and N5 and rail services Prospector and Avon link provided by Transwa

Tourism
Northam has a number of tourist attractions, including Hot Air Ballooning, wineries, cafes & restaurants, museums, hotels and resorts.

Railways
Northam is a major railway junction, and serves as the commercial centre for much of the western Wheatbelt. The dual gauge Eastern Railway terminates here and becomes the standard gauge Eastern Goldfields Railway. Narrow gauge radiates both south of the town to York and beyond (Great Southern Railway), and north to Goomalling, another rural railway junction.

Current railway station
The Northam railway station is used for the Prospector and Avonlink rural train services.

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.

Avon Yard
The Australian Railroad Group have a large railway yard named Avon Yard west of the town.

Education

 * See Northam Senior High School

Sport
Northam has some very committed sporting teams. Australian rules football is an obsession with many of the people of Western Australia. Northam has two teams that play in the Avon Football Association competition, Federals and Railways.

Field and indoor hockey, cricket, and netball 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 became the first person to fly around the world alone, non-stop, in a hot air balloon when he launched from Northam on 19 June 2002, and returned to Australia on 3 July, landing in Queensland.

Events in Northam
The Avon Descent is held every year starting in Northam.

The Northam Flying 50's, a historic car racing event, is held each year in early April and attracts around 5,000 spectators each year.

The Northam Agricultural Show is also a yearly attraction which is held over a Friday and a Saturday in mid September.

The Kep Ultra running race is held each year on the Foundation Day long weekend in early June. The race starts in Northam and includes 100 km and 75 km events finishing at Mundaring Weir.

Notable people
Northam is the birthplace of the following people:


 * Edward Lindsay Barr (1915-1996) - Rhodes Scholar
 * Kim Edward Beazley (1917-2007) - Federal Minister for Education
 * Darren Glass - Australian rules footballer, West Coast Eagles (AFL) premiership player and All-Australian full-back
 * Eric Glass (1910-1985) - Australian rules footballer who played for East Fremantle (WAFL), Melbourne (VFL) and Williamstown (VFA)
 * Carmen Lawrence - 25th Premier of Western Australia
 * Geoff Marsh - Australian cricketer
 * Frederick Henry Piesse (1853-1912) - Businessman and politician, Acting Premier of Western Australia
 * Hugo Throssell (1884-1933) - Victoria Cross recipient