Located in the WA Wheatbelt, York is the oldest inland town in the state.
Story + Photos Aleisha Orr
If the buildings in York could talk, they would tell some incredible stories. Many of them are the original structures built from 1835, when British settlers chose the location as WA’s first inland town. The main street is lined with heritage buildings, decorated with ornate verandahs, lantern-style lights and leadlight windows.
“It’s almost like the town that time has forgotten,” says Roger Hayes, owner of one of the town’s handful of antique stores.
Nestled in a valley along the Avon River, 90 minutes drive east of Perth, York has a population of about 3000 people. British settlers originally saw areas of grassland by the river that had been cleared by Aboriginal people to aid kangaroo hunting and thought it would make an ideal area for farming. Since then, wheat and sheep farming have brought in much of the town’s revenue.
While the York of today has a ‘ye olde’ feeling, it doesn’t feel manufactured for tourist value. Locals seem to have leaned into the heritage and character of the town and taken pride in it, with vintage signage at places such as the butcher, chemist and fuel station, and surprising details that have been kept, such as decorative tiles in a shop entryway.
This story excerpt is from Issue #158
Outback Magazine: December/January 2025
