Monday morning kicked off wonderfully with a home cooked country breakfast in the dining room of the Swann Lodge B & B.  The Swann Lodge which is located close to the centre of York; Western Australia; had lived up to our expectations.

Our hosts Di & Bob proved very friendly and helpful. Bob also turned out to be a terrific chef.  Starting with an array of cereals, plates of fresh fruit, then stacks of  bacon, eggs, sausages and toast. Coffee on the sideboard. Perfection. Many thanks to our hosts for a great stay and an excellent breakfast.

While enjoying breakfast we met Cyril and Jan who were doing exactly the same as ourselves. They had also arrived Sunday afternoon. It was from them that we first learnt about an excellent, most informal dining venue in York. The place is called Yorkys and is near the Avon River, almost adjacent to the Castle Hotel, and just east of Avon Terrace. Cyril told us about their terrific steak dinner they had enjoyed at Yorky’s the previous Sunday evening, while we had to make do with take away pizza! Yorkys is also BYO so they had dined under the stars, enjoyed an excellent evening dinner, a bottle of chard,  for a third of the asking price at the Imperial Hotel.

Yorkys of York

After breakfast we packed our belongings, thanked our hosts and went for a drive to have a look at some of the other sights of York. The weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. We checked out where Yorkys is and were surpised that it consists of a large railway carriage converted into a cafe with long  bench style tables and seats for guests to enjoy an evening under the stars. Now that would have been the perfect evening out last night. Yorkys was closed Monday, however the menu posted on the wall looked excellent and most affordable. Well, we will know next time wont we!

We then called in for a look at a heritage building called “The Residency”. Unfortunately, being Monday, we discovered this historic building and museum was  closed. Fortunately one of the volunteers was doing some work around the old building and was most kind to let us have a look around inside the building. We paid our entry fee and enjoyed half an hour all to ourselves,  examining the numerous artifacts and treasures dating back to the mid 1800’s when York was first settled. The old Residency has been lovingly restored by numerous volunteers. This old building is full of excellent memoriabilia that truly represents the harsh life as it was 150 years ago in the raw bushland of Western Australia.

The Residency – Only a minute by car from the centre of York Town

After visiting the Residency we drove around York to see some other sights we had heard about during earlier brief visits but were always in too much of a hurry to visit. First on the list was to tour “Bland Town”.  Now Bland Town is anything but bland. In fact this small village area only a short walk south of the centre of York town is a gorgeous place consisting of many fine old cottages fully restored to their earlier glory as they were way back in the late 1800’s. Make sure you visit Bland Town.

Delightful two story cottage – Bland Town

Old Cottage – Bland Town

We walked around this very old “suburb” of York. I think it’s only from walking such areas that you can achieve some true feeling for these beautifully restored and well maintained buildings that date back to the late 1800’s.

Next we went for a drive around the small suburban area of York looking for some original cottages. There are quite a few dotted around and we sincerely trust none of these fine old places are ever bulldozed!

Old cottage near Swann Lodge

The Old York Hospital. Now privately owned and used as a private residence.

Beautiful old cottage to north of York town centre

We also enjoyed seeing a variety of bird life in and around York. I managed to snap a couple of photos of a few very friendly birds.

Twenty Eight Parrot enjoying our company in a York cafe

Someone told me this bird is a Butcher Bird? Maybe any bird lover’s out there could comment?

About midday we decided we had better head for home. We had thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay in York, Western Australia and thoroughly recommend you place York on your must see list. Our stay at Swann Lodge was great. The Lodge is not spectacular. However it was comfy, close to the town centre and reasonably priced. I strongly recommend visiting York on days other than a Saturday or Sunday or a public holiday. In earlier years we used to visit York on those days and the place was always jam packed with tourists. Much better as from late Sunday afternoon and during the working week.

See you on our next trip to somewhere in Western Australia.

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York is a delightful  country town situated amongst the folds of the Darling Ranges some 95 kilometres east of Perth, Western Australia. Over the years we have made a number of short visits to York. Usually with family and friends to enjoy a BBQ picnic in one of the parks. A brief look around the town and then we would be gone.

Last week we decided to book into a B & B in York for Sunday night in order to spend more time in the town to enjoy an indepth experience of York, Western Australia. I realise there is maybe no such thing as having an indepth experience of a country town in two days, however that would be better than only a half a day!

We left our home on the northern coastal beaches late morning, enjoyed a picnic lunch in a park in the village atmosphere of Mundaring, and were in York by 1.30pm. The drive from Perth to York is very pleasant. Pleasant, I should add once we had left the chaotic traffic of Midland behind. Once east of Midland the road ascends rapidly up the western escarpment of the Darling Ranges, along  Great Eastern Highway, which is surrounded on both sides of the road by heavy bushland.

About 50 kilometres along the Great Eastern Highway from Perth you have to be careful not to miss the signage to deviate off the main highway, south east to York. The drive along the last 45 k’s from the Lake’s Garage turnoff to York is through a mixture of native bushlands and cleared farming properties. Before we knew it we were on the outskirts of York.

Zoom photo of York Town Centre from the top of Mt Brown

According to the travel brochure York has a population of 3,200. As we drove along Avon Terrace,  the main road through the centre of town,  looking for our B & B, I was convinced the population must have left town as it was so quiet and peaceful. I would add that was the main reason we had decided to arrive on a Sunday afternoon and spend Sunday night in York. Most of the day trippers from Perth would be returning to the city and most of the locals were probably out visiting other regions.

Realising we had missed our turn off to the Swann Lodge we back tracked south to Balladong Street, turned left, across the bridge over the Avon River, and within a minute we had arrived at Swann Lodge.  That should give you some impression that York is not a large town. The Swann Lodge is a comfy B & B motel style setup consisting of five motel  rooms, each with a Queen size bed, and sufficient space to move around. They boast a large dining room as they provide a country cooked breakfast. One of our hosts, Dianne (better know as Di) was there to greet us and get us into our room. We had the Rose Room. Di’s husband, Bob, was out filling in for someone at a Bowling game.

Swann Lodge in Suburban Road, York

We settled into our room, enjoyed a bit of a rest and then walked into the town centre across the Swinging Bridge over the Avon River. That was a major reason we had selected the Swann Lodge. It is just a five minute walk from the middle of town. The walk is an easy one, just down the road a bit, then over the swinging bridge.

The Author crossing the Swinging Bridge. The Swann Lodge is to the rear of this lovely bush country.

We strolled along Avon Terrace admiring the beautifully refurbished old world post office, court house and hotels, looking for somewhere we could settle in for a while to enjoy a coffee.  Surprise of surprises, even though it was only 3 pm, the coffee shops were shutting their doors, as were most other retail outlets.

York Post Office Building

Looking south along Avon Terrace

I did say we were hoping the town would be peaceful, however not that peaceful. Anyway we found the fantastic old York Hotel’s bar and brasserie raring for our business.

Now when I say old, yes the York Hotel does date back to the late 1800’s, however the owners have carried out a first rate task of reburbishing the building, both inside and outside. The building is a beauty. Very much worth looking at is a display of a number of excellent art works painted by a local artist which are housed in the main function room . I am sorry to say the artist’s name escapes me at this time. Very fine paintings depicting the history of York.

York Hotel, Avon Terrace, York

I am delighted to add that the service from the staff was superb, equally matching the excellence of the building in which they worked. Our coffees were excellent. We would  liked to have returned to the York Hotel that evening for dinner. However, in tandem with most other dining establishments in York,  they close at 4 pm on a Sunday.

We then walked back to the Swann Lodge to retrieve our car for a drive into the hills to the east of York. The drive to the top of Mt Brown takes only a few minutes and the view is well worth the short drive. When we arrived we had the mountain (well, really a high hill?) to ourselves. Mt Brown has an easy walkway from the car park to the peak. The views to the west over York town, to the north over exquisite hills and escarpments,  and to the east over farmland and more hills made the trip well worth the small amount of effort required.

A monument stands at the peak as well as a direction compass. When you visit York make sure you visit Mt Brown.

View of country to the east of Mt brown

The Author at the top of Mt Brown with view to the north in background

After our trip to Mt Brown we returned to the town centre to find somewhere for dinner that evening as it was now getting round to 5 pm.  Unfortunately almost everything had closed up for the day. The only places we could find open were a Chinese Restaurant, a Pizza shop and the Imperial Hotel. We did not feel like chinese so we went to the Imperial Hotel.

Now, the Imperial Hotel is a superb establishment, only surpassed by it’s exhorbitant prices. One glass of chardonay and a pint of beer (I had actually ordered a small middy, but a pint turned up) cost $18. When we asked for the menu we decided that it looked like we were having pizza for our evening meal. The reason being that a steak dinner at the Imperial would cost $44 per person and other items were equally over the top in price.

We are not misers by any means. However $44 is a real stretch for a main course at a hotel! Maybe at a top of the line  five star restuarant on the Swan River but not in York.

Imperial Hotel -Avon Terrace – York

Suffice to say that the Pizza shop in the main street of York town sure serves up a delicious pizza! We enjoyed the feast along with a bottle of chardonay on the comfortable terrace outside our room at the Swann Lodge. All in all a most enjoyable day of travelling through the Darling Ranges and getting to know York a little bit in depth.

Next morning while enjoying our full, country style breakfast we were to discover we had missed one of life’s events by not finding a dining spot with a real difference; Yorkys!

Famous Yorkey’s of York

However;  more of that in the next post about day two in York.

Find more information about  York

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