Lynton is a small town located in the Mid West region of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. It is situated between the towns of Northampton

Northampton, Western Australia

Northampton is a town north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 813. It is historic, with an outstanding National Trust building. The town lies on the North West Coastal Highway. Formerly named Gwalla after the location's...

 and Kalbarri

Kalbarri, Western Australia

Kalbarri is a coastal town in the Mid West region located 592 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The town is found at the mouth of the Murchison River and has an elevation of...

 and near the mouth of the Hutt River

Hutt River (Western Australia)

Hutt River is a river in the Mid West region of Western Australia.The river rises near the North West Coastal Highway between the towns of Northampton and Binnu and east of Hutt...

.

Captain H.A. Sanford built a residence in the area in 1853 and the name of his property was Lynton, the nearby townsite was gazetted in 1864 using the same name. The origin of the name is unknown.

The nearby townsire of Pakington, near Gregory was gazetted in the same year. All of the towns were bult to support the Murchison mining industry with its convict

Convict

A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...

 labour system, but very little development ever occurred. The Lynton Convict Depot

Lynton Convict Depot

Lynton Convict Depot , Western Australia, was established in 1853 to supply labour to the Geraldine Lead Mine, 40 miles north of the site in the Murchison River bed...

operated near to the present townsite.