The Avon Valley Advocate is a paid weekly newspaper covering all the news, sports and events of the region. Its readership includes the whole Avon Valley and part of WA’s central wheatbelt. The average edition size is 32 pages, with major agricultural field days and tourism events resulting in 60 page papers a few times during each year.


The Avon Valley is a picturesque farming and tourism district beginning 80 kilometres east of Perth in Western Australia and including townships along the beautiful Avon River. The total population of the area is approximately 27,000 with the largest town, Northam located in the centre of the valley. Northam lies on the main route between western and eastern Australia, has a regional population of 7,000 and is 100 kilometres from Perth. While agriculture and its related industries are the strength of the Avon Valley, manufacturing and cottage industry are well represented. Tourism is a vibrant industry of the area, with a great deal of scenic and historic sites visited regularly. A substantial number of government departments have large regional bases located in Northam which adds to the population and commercial activity of the area. Hobby farming and the arts are both activities that have grown swiftly in recent years.