Northam,town, southwestern Western Australia. It lies at the
confluence of the Avon (upper course of the Swan) and Mortlock
rivers. One of the state’s oldest settlements, it was founded in
1833 and named by Governor Sir James Stirling after Northam in
Devonshire, England. During the 1890s Northam was a major stop
for miners eastward bound for the Yilgarn, Eastern, and Dundas
goldfields. It now serves part of the eastern Wheat Belt, which
also produces fodder, sheep, beef cattle, and pigs. The town’s
industries include flour mills, metal-fabrication and cold-
storage works, a plasterboard factory, and brick and charcoal
kilns. Northam is situated at the junction of several rail lines
and is also at the intersection of the Great Eastern and
Southern highways. It is the site of the now-abandoned Holden
Immigration Centre, and nearby are a military training camp and
Muresk Agricultural College. Along the Aron Avon River is a
sanctuary for many species of birds, including rare white swans.
Pop. (1989 est.) 2001) ur