"New Norcia …. monastic town" Fremantle Things to Do Tip by vtveen

We were heading north from Applecross and after passing Guildford and Midland and the wineries of the Swan Valley, we reached the Great Northern Highway. And from that moment on the scenery changed and for many many kilometres it became completely deserted and the landscape was dry as a bone.

After two hours of driving we reached New Norcia, really in the middle of nowhere and for us absolutely incomprehensible why two Spanish Benedictines decided to found a monastery in such a remote place.
Bishop Rosendo Salvado and fellow-Benedictine, Dom Joseph Serra, founded New Norcia in 1846, spending the rest of their life making it one of the most progressive and successful missions in Australian history. (New Norcia is named after Nursia, the birthplace of St. Benedictus.)

Till nowadays the Benedictines own the whole village of about 60 buildings and just the highway crosswise through the ‘town’ belongs to the government. The buildings are impressive and show clear Spanish influences.

On one side of the road we saw the former orphanages for Aboriginal children - later used as colleges for boys and girls - the New Norcia Hotel and the Roadhouse. The New Norcia Museum and Art Gallery is located in the so called St’Josephs’s. .Here is also the Visitor Information Centre and a shop where one can buy local produces honey, monastery wine, olive oil and fresh baked bread from the New Norcia Bakeries.
On the other side of the road are the Monastery, the Abbey Church and the Abbey Guesthouse.

There are guided walking tours through the town and monastery; they start daily from the Visitor Centre at 9.00 am, 11.00 am and 1.30 pm. Otherwise walk on your own along the Heritage Trail (2 km’s) with a map, which is available in the Information Centre.

Address: New Norcia, Western Australia
Directions: New Norcia is located along the Great Northern Highway, about 132 km's north of Perth.
Website: http://www.newnorcia.wa.edu.au