York is located 97 kilometres east of Perth, Western Australia in the Avon Valley near Northam. It is the oldest inland town in Western Australia. It was settled in 1831 two years after Perth was settled.
Due to the increasing population in Swan River Settlement in 1829, suitable land had to be discovered for crops growing to sustain the settlers. Robert Dale, made the first exploratory journey to Avon Valley in 1830. Governor Stirling then opened the new district for selection. The first settlers moved in in 1831.
The town is named after the city York in England. It was until 1836 after an army barracks and store were built that the township flourished. Private and Government buildings were erected and the surrounding land was fertile and prosperous for farming.
In the 1880s, York was full of miners and fossickers in their transit to the goldfields. Most of the town’s magnificent buildings were built during the period 1886 to 1900.
The decline of Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region has seen the emergence of alternative crops such as planting of olives. York has adapted by changing from a traditional sheep and wheat farming community into a tourist destination.
There are interesting places to visit like the Jah Roc Mill Gallery and the York Motor Museum which has the best collection of old cars. The various music festivals and fairs such as the York Art & Craft Awards, the York Antiques and Collectors Fair, Jazz Festival, Garden Festival and Vintage Motor Vehicles are not to be missed. Recreational activities like tennis, golf, paragliding and skydiving are also available.
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Australia
