Lynton Convict Hiring Depot, Convict depot heritage site in Shire of Northampton, Australia

Lynton Convict Hiring Depot consists of limestone foundations and structural remains located near the Hutt River mouth. The visible ruins show the outlines of multiple buildings that once functioned as a processing facility for transported convicts.

Established in 1853, this was the first convict facility north of Fremantle in Western Australia. The site operated as a distribution point where transported convicts were assigned to work at nearby mines and pastoral stations.

The depot supplied ticket-of-leave convicts as hired labour to the Geraldine Lead Mine on the Murchison River, 52 kilometres north-east, and to local settlers. Five Irish immigrant women from a so-called bride ship are also recorded as arriving in Western Australia at Lynton. The site is vested in the Northampton Shire Council, and conservation works are carried out through the Northampton Historical Society.

The depot ruins stand on the west bank of the Bowes River, north of Northampton off the North West Coastal Highway. The site is unstaffed and fully exposed, with no shade or shelter, so bring water and sun protection. Conservation work by the Northampton Historical Society is ongoing, and some structures may be fenced off.

Five Irish immigrant women from a so-called bride ship are recorded as having reached Western Australia at Lynton. The depot's staff for a time included Thomas Leonowens, whose son Louis was born there; his wife Anna later wrote a memoir of her years as governess to the royal family of Siam.