Camel

Craft

Beasts of burden aid exploration

While the story of this particular camel has been lost, it is used here to tell the tale of the early European explorers who relied on camels to push the frontiers of exploration. In 1871 Ernest Giles and his exploratory party crossed central Australia from east to west using camels to endure the long lonely stretches of dry desert country. They reached what is now Toodyay in November 1875 amid much fanfare. Their arrival marked the first time camels had been brought into Western Australia. Apparently the beasts of burden frightened the horses at first. But it wasn’t long until camels became commonplace as pack and draught animals, enabling further settlement and exploration in the expanding colony.

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Old Newcastle Gaol

Harsh realities of early prison life on show at Newcastle Gaol Museum

Enter Newcastle Gaol Museum and find yourself hurtling back in time to imagine life as a prisoner here from 1865 to the early 1900s. The tiny cells are most disturbing, particularly the Aboriginal...

Address:

13 Clinton St
Toodyay WA 6566
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9574 2435

Email:

Toodyay.museums@toodyay.wa.gov.au

Open Hours

7 days 10am - 3pm; Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, Good Friday

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Leg Irons

Bound by Iron

These leg irons once bound prisoners at Newcastle Gaol. Aboriginal prisoners in particular were bound by the legs and chained, even inside the tiny stone cell into which they were crammed behind...

Walking Stick

Around 1900, Aboriginal Elder Jack Woma carved this walking stick, which shows a snake encircling the walking stick’s length. As Aboriginal people didn’t use walking sticks, it’s likely he carved the...