Lynton, Western Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids LyntonWestern Australia |
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Convict-built buildings at Lynton
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 Lynton
Location in Western Australia
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| Established | 1853 |
| Postcode(s) | 6535 |
| Location | 40 km (25 mi) NW of Northampton |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Northampton |
| State electorate(s) | North West |
| Federal Division(s) | Durack |
Lynton is a small historic place in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It's part of a bigger country area called Yallabatharra. Lynton is located right where the Hutt River meets the ocean. It's about 7.6 kilometers (4.7 miles) from Gregory, and sits between the larger towns of Northampton and Kalbarri. In the 1850s, Lynton was an important place for a special camp called the Lynton Convict Hiring Depot.
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Lynton's Early History
The Convict Depot
On May 22, 1853, a place called the Port Gregory Convict Depot was built. It was later known as the Lynton Convict Hiring Depot. This depot was set up to provide workers for the Geraldine Lead Mine. These workers were convicts, people who had been sent to Australia as punishment. They helped with important jobs like mining.
The person in charge of this depot was Captain H. A. Sanford. In 1853, he built his home in the area and named it Lynton. We don't know exactly why he chose this name. However, it's thought his parents might have had a connection to a place called Lynton in England. Soon, the name Lynton was used for the whole area around the depot.
A Famous Resident: Anna Leonowens
An interesting person named Anna Harriette Leonowens lived in Lynton in the mid-1850s. She later became very famous as the main character in the book Anna and the King of Siam. This book was also made into movies and musicals.
Anna's husband, Thomas Leonowens, worked in Lynton for the Commissariat, which was a department that supplied food and other things. Their son, Louis, was born in Lynton in 1856.
The convict hiring depot eventually moved away from Lynton. It was relocated to Champion Bay (which is now Geraldton) in 1857.
Lynton Becomes Official
Even though people were living and working there, Lynton wasn't officially recognized as a townsite until 1854. Another nearby townsite, Pakington, was made official around the same time. Pakington was later renamed Gregory.
