North Bannister is a small town located in the Wheatbelt 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...

, 94 kilometres (58 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 along Albany Highway

Albany Highway

Albany Highway is a generally northwest-southeast highway in the south of Western Australia which links the state's capital Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany. The highway is approximately in length, is designated State Route 30 and separates Western Australia's Great Southern region from...

 between Armadale

Armadale, Western Australia

Armadale is a suburb within the City of Armadale, located on the south-eastern edge of Perth's metropolitan area. The major junction of the South Western and Albany Highways, which connect Perth with the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia respectively, is located within the...

 and Williams

Williams, Western Australia

Williams is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway and 32 kilometres west of Narrogin. The Williams River passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Williams had a population of 338.-History:Williams is...

.

The town's name honours Captain Thomas Bannister

Thomas Bannister

Thomas Bannister was a soldier and explorer in Western Australia. He was born in Steyning, Sussex in 1799, and arrived in Western Australia in 1829, age 30, with the rank of Captain aboard the Atwick with 3 servants from London, England...

 who discovered the nearby Bannister River

Bannister River

Bannister River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia.The river rises in the East of North Bannister and flows in a southerly direction and dicharging into the Hotham River near Boddington....

, a tributary of the Hotham River

Hotham River

The Hotham River is one of the major tributaries of the Murray River in Western Australia. It is about 160km long in total with its upper reaches being the Hotham River North, which begins in the Dutarning Range and joins the Hotham at its crossing of the Great Southern Highway near Popanyinning...

, in 1830 while leading the first overland expedition from Perth to King George Sound

King George Sound

King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....

 (now Albany

Albany, Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

). The name was applied to the river in 1832 by Surveyor-General John Septimus Roe

John Septimus Roe

John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...

.

Today, North Bannister Roadhouse, a roadhouse with takeaway and sit-down meals, operates on Albany Highway

Albany Highway

Albany Highway is a generally northwest-southeast highway in the south of Western Australia which links the state's capital Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany. The highway is approximately in length, is designated State Route 30 and separates Western Australia's Great Southern region from...

. The roadhouse is a stop on the Transwa

Transwa

Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 275 destinations within Western Australia, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south to Esperance in the east along with the regional centres of Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Northam, Geraldton and Albany.Transwa is...

bus services to Albany (GS1) and Esperance (GE1).