WA Magistrates Court – Northam Courthouse List Today

The WA Magistrates Court Northam Courthouse list on this page gives you a fast, plain view of the matters set down before the Magistrates Court of Western Australia at Northam. Whether you are a defendant confirming a mention, a solicitor preparing for a bail application, a witness checking a hearing time, or a member of the public exercising the right of open justice, you can see today's Northam court listings in one place without stepping through the multiple menus of the official eCourts portal. Case names are partially masked to protect privacy while keeping the listings genuinely useful, and access is completely free with no login or registration.

Northam sits roughly 97 kilometres north east of Perth along the Great Eastern Highway, at the meeting point of the Avon and Mortlock rivers. It is the largest town and regional centre in the Avon Valley and the Central Wheatbelt. At the 2021 Census the town recorded a population of 6,679, while the wider Shire of Northam, which covers about 1,431 square kilometres, was home to 11,358 residents. Because the Wheatbelt spans 43 local government authorities and around 75,000 people across roughly 155,000 square kilometres, a single regional courthouse like Northam carries a heavy load, serving not only the town itself but a large surrounding catchment of farming and rural communities.

About the Northam Courthouse

The Northam Courthouse is an operating registry of the Magistrates Court of Western Australia and one of the state's oldest courts still in continuous use. The current heritage building on Wellington Street was constructed in 1896 to 1897, during the wave of government building that followed the Kalgoorlie gold discoveries of the early 1890s. It was designed by George Temple Poole, the Colonial Architect of the period, and shares its Federation design language with contemporaries at Beverley and nearby Toodyay. The single storey brick building is set behind a narrow arcade of three rounded arches, with the magistrate's chambers on the eastern side and the registry on the western side. It has since been modified, with renovations in 1911 and refurbishment around 1991.

Court services at Northam predate that building by decades. As early as 1865 the Perth Gazette and West Australian Times reported that a lock-up, police quarters and court house were under construction in the town. In the early 1900s the court sat for only one day every fortnight, which meant litigants, witnesses, solicitors and staff often travelled long distances by road and rail and had to be ready to proceed on the day. Sittings today are far more frequent, but that history explains why the courthouse remains a fixture of the Northam streetscape and of Wheatbelt justice more than 125 years after it opened.

Where the court sits within the WA court hierarchy

The Magistrates Court of Western Australia is the first tier, or entry level, court of the state. It came into existence in May 2005 through the amalgamation of the former Court of Petty Sessions, the Small Claims Tribunal and the Local Court, following recommendations from the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia. It is both an inferior court and a court of record, and it is headed by a Chief Magistrate. Appeals from the Magistrates Court are heard by the District Court of Western Australia or the Supreme Court, depending on the nature of the matter. Understanding this structure helps you read a court list correctly, because the same defendant may move up the hierarchy as a case progresses from a summary hearing to a higher court.

What matters appear on the Northam court list

As a regional Magistrates Court registry, Northam handles a broad mix of criminal, traffic and civil work. The daily list can include summary criminal offences, traffic and driving matters, bail applications, committal mentions for more serious charges that will later be dealt with in a higher court, and civil disputes. The court also deals with restraining orders under the Restraining Orders Act 1997 (WA), together with dividing fence disputes, the disposal of uncollected goods and extraordinary drivers licence applications. On the civil side, the Magistrates Court hears claims for debt or damages up to its monetary limit, which makes it the practical first port of call for most everyday disputes in the Wheatbelt.

• Criminal mentions and sentencing: summary offences, first appearances and pleas heard before a magistrate.
• Traffic and driving: including extraordinary licence applications for people who have lost their licence.
• Bail applications: decisions on release pending a further hearing.
• Restraining orders: family violence restraining orders and violence restraining orders.
• Civil claims: debt recovery, damages and related non-offence matters.

Contact and location details

The Northam Courthouse is located on Wellington Street, Northam WA 6401, in central Northam close to local government and community services. The registry can be reached by telephone on (08) 9622 1035 and by email at northamcourt@justice.wa.gov.au. The building offers accessibility support including wheelchair access, and street parking is available nearby. If you require an interpreter or a wheelchair-accessible arrangement, it is best to contact the registry ahead of your court date so support can be organised in advance. Always confirm the exact date, time and courtroom shown on your official notice, since court lists change to suit the needs of the day.

How to use this court list

Court listings are daily schedules of the cases being heard in each court, and in Western Australia they are published through the government eCourts portal. The official portal requires you to select the court type, then the location, then the date, moving through several steps before you reach the list you want. This page takes a different approach by presenting the Northam matters directly, with the surrounding context you need to make sense of them. If you cannot find a listing, it may be suppressed for legal reasons, listed at another registry, or simply not yet published for the day, in which case contacting the registry is the reliable next step.

If your matter is not at Northam, you can move quickly to nearby Wheatbelt and regional registries. Many people checking the Northam list also need the Narrogin courthouse schedule further south, or the Merredin registry to the east. For matters in the capital, the Perth court listings at the Central Law Courts on Hay Street cover the busiest metropolitan registry in the state. You can also browse every registry grouped by court type on the main WA court listings hub, which brings the Supreme, District, Magistrates, Family, Coroners and SAT courts together on one page.

Who relies on court lists in Western Australia

Daily court lists are public records published under the principle of open justice, and they are used by a wide range of people. Solicitors and barristers check them when preparing for hearings, mentions, bail applications and committals. Self-represented litigants use them to confirm a court date, courtroom allocation or hearing time before attending. Journalists and media organisations rely on them to report on matters of public interest, and family members and support people use them to find where and when a matter will be heard. Because the same open-justice principle applies across the country, the same habits of checking the list the day before and arriving early apply whether you are in Northam or a Western Australia court registry hundreds of kilometres away.

Practical tips before you attend

A little preparation makes a court appearance far smoother. Arrive early to allow time for security screening, and dress neatly. Stand when the magistrate enters or leaves the courtroom, and remember that food and drinks are not permitted inside courtrooms. You are entitled to bring a support person, and interpreters can be arranged if you organise them before your date. Be prepared for waiting times, since lists are ordered by the court rather than by arrival, and ask registry staff if you are unsure where to go. If in doubt about anything on the list, the registry counter is the most reliable source of confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Northam Magistrates Court located?

The Northam Courthouse sits on Wellington Street, Northam WA 6401, in the Central Wheatbelt about 97 kilometres north east of Perth. It is in central Northam near local government and community services, with nearby street parking and wheelchair access.

What types of cases does the Northam court hear?

As a Magistrates Court registry, Northam deals with summary criminal offences, traffic and driving matters, bail applications, restraining orders, extraordinary licence applications and civil claims for debt or damages, along with related administrative matters.

Are the court lists on this page free to access?

Yes. WA court lists are public records published under the principle of open justice, and access here is completely free with no registration, login or payment required.

How often are the listings updated?

Court lists in Western Australia are updated daily through the eCourts portal, and this page reflects the most recent available data. Because lists can change during the day, always verify the date, time and courtroom on your official notice.

What if I cannot find my matter on the list?

Some listings are not publicly displayed due to legislative or court requirements, and others may be listed at a different registry or not yet published. If you cannot locate your matter, contact the Northam Courthouse registry on (08) 9622 1035 for confirmation.