Just 100kms inland from Perth, the rolling green hills and historic country villages of the Avon Valley are a great place in which to relax and enjoy the last days of our travels on this leg of our journey. The drive from Perth took us through the cool (10 degrees ) Perth hills and through to our base on the periphery of WA’s largest inland town and the gateway to wheat belt, Northam. Being the regional hub, all government departments are represented, along with all services necessary to support the regions agriculture and tourism. Located on the Avon River, settlers first arrived here in the 1830s and today has over 185 heritage listed buildings.

Steve on Northam’s suspension bridge crossing the Avon River

We have really enjoyed the history of the town, in particular exploring the town on foot. There is a very enjoyable walk around a number of the streets, taking in these buildings as well as many other homes that were built in the 1800s. The craftsmanship that was displayed at the time is severely lacking when comparing these homes with the modern boxes of today! It’s wonderful to see how lovingly many of the homes and commercial buildings have been restored. Even the home of the first European settler in the region is still standing and open to the public one day a week. I can’t imagine our houses and buildings of today still standing nearly 200 years later, let alone 50! These were built to last…..Australia’s history is so young when compared to Europe though!

There are a number of other towns and attractions in the valley, including wineries, olive groves, country markets, festivals, cafes and restaurants, and skydiving and ballooning. No, we weren’t tempted! We haven’t visited all of the towns, but just had to take the beautiful country drive through green fields and rolling hills to the historic towns of York and Beverley, both named after their namesakes in Yorkshire. Steve of course lived in York for nearly 4 years in his early 20s, so York was a must. Being just 36kms from Northam its an easy drive alongside the river. This very proud historic town was settled in September 1831 and was the first inland settlement in WA on the banks of the Avon. York is probably the most popular day trip destination from Perth. It is very picturesque and has many been lovingly restored colonial residential and commercial buildings.

York Town Hall

Most residents take great pride in their gardens making this quite a special little town (about 1700 residents). We spent 3 or so hours wandering through the town and the side streets, venturing into the Town Hall, Settlers Inn, the English lolly shop (guess who enjoyed himself there!!), and the old Courthouse. There is an old flour mill, however it has been closed to the public which is a real shame. And for the car lovers – York hosts a very good motor museum, now recognised as one of the finest private collections of veteran, vintage, classic and racing cars in the country. Yes, we spent quite some time there.

Historic homes in York

Who would you expect to meet in York – English visitors from Leeds, Yorkshire, and regular visitors to the shire of York in the UK. Needless to say we stopped and had a good chat, comparing the towns and asking ourselves why we were so absorbed in taking photos of these comparatively ‘young’ historic buildings!

After a very country style lunch we headed another 30kms to the town of Beverley, founded in 1838. Today a quiet agricultural town, not attracting the same attention as York, there is still a great deal of colonial history in the town. It didn’t hold the same appeal for us, when compared with York and Northam, however we could certainly appreciate its history.

The other major towns in the valley are Chittering, Goomaling, New Norcia and Toodyay.

We’ve checked out the storage for ‘The Tent’ and are very happy that she will be secure and safe in our absence. The garaging is like an aircraft hangar, and has full security, so that’s where she goes tomorrow, in Grass Valley. There is a little town here and we couldn’t resist this photo, of the very new post office – I bet you haven’t seen a physical post office as small as this before!

The very cute Grass Valley Post Office

Meantime we are working our way through the long check list of all the chores that must be done before tomorrow morning. What fun! The weather turned this morning which is frustrating, but you get what you get. Thankfully all the outside jobs are done other than those that take place once she’s in the shed.

By tomorrow afternoon we will be in central Perth, ensconced in the Sheraton for 3 nights. What we haven’t done on this trip is spend time around the centre of Perth, Kings Park, the galleries and its many other attractions. The weather is meant to improve again tomorrow and until we fly out on Wednesday morning. Airport security is heightened with recent events, so we will be there nice and early….oh what a culture shock all of this will be after our time on the road!

Whilst in NZ we will still post blogs, however at times a little less frequently. We hope to travel whilst there, so will share these experiences, introducing you to new places and the beauty of NZ.