,New Norcia is Australia’s only working monastic town.
It lies 130 km north of Perth, along the Great Northern Highway. While the Highway used to pass through New Norcia, it now bypasses the town, and you now have to turn off the highway for a short distance.
Getting There
Realistically, there are two ways to get to New Norcia. You can either drive or travel by road coach.
By Car
The easiest and fastest way to get to travel is by car. From Perth, you will need to drive approximately 130 km north. While you travel along the Great Northern Highway, these days the highway bypasses New Norcia. As such you will need to keep an eye out for the turnoff into the New Norcia.
By Coach
TransWA operates road coach services that include a stop at the New Norcia roadhouse. The N2 service runs between Perth and Geraldton, stopping in New Norcia as follows:
- Arrivals From Perth:
- Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11.25 am
- Sunday at 1.40 pm
- Departures to Perth:
- Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 2.50 pm
- Sunday at 4.50 pm
A brief history of New Norcia
The first time I saw New Norcia I wondered what it was doing there. It just doesn’t seem to belong. It consists of a bunch of buildings that look out of place in the Australia bush.
How it ended up there is a story in itself. Following on from its foundation is a story of change, and trying to find its way in the world. As is often the case, there is good and bad in that history.
The early years
The story of New Norcia really starts in 1846, when tt was founded by a group of Spanish monks fleeing persecution in their homeland. Led by Dom Rosendo Salvado, the group initially established the town approximately 8 kilometres north of its current position.
Initially started as a mission to a local Aboriginal tribe, it did not get off to a particularly good start. Indeed, by 1847 they had decided to relocate to its current location by the banks of the Moore River.
The 20th Century
New Norcia functioned mainly as a mission through to Salvado’s death in 1900. Following his death, a new Abbott, Fulgentius Torres as appointed. Torress fancied himself as a bit of an architect, and he designed many of the buildings that stand in New Norcia today.
In the 20th century, the town turned towards education as its major industry. As such, it functioned as a boarding school for many. Included among that were Aboriginal children that had removed from their parents’ custody – part of what we now refer to as the Stolen Generation.
As a result of the two boarding schools, New Norcia had a bit of a population boom. It reached 250 at one point, but this all came to a rather abrupt end in 1991.
Nowadays, the buildings are still there, but largely underused. The monastery derives income from leasing out farmland, and from catering to travellers and tourists that come for a look.
New Norcia Buildings
Visitor Centre – Museum, Art Gallery and Giftshop
A good place to start is at the Visitor Centre. Originally St Josephs School for Girls, the building now houses a museum, art gallery, and gift shop.
This is where you can join a tour, get information, and so on.
In addition, you can browse through the museum and art gallery. Displays in the museum give an idea of life during the first 50 years of the monastery. There is also a range of religious artworks on display in the art gallery.
New Norcia Monastery
The Monastery is home to Benedictine Monks that live in New Norcia. As the monks live within the monastery, access to the public is restricted.
Abbey Church
The Abbey Church, while obviously a church, reflects the fact that it was built in the bush. As such, it combines stones, mud plaster, rough-hewn trees, and wooden shingles. As originally designed, it was a fairly typical Georgian church, and it has a cross-shaped footprint. It was modified by Torres which gave the building its current Mediterranean feeling.
In the following photos, the Abbey Church sign shows the church as it was originally built. The church, as it stands now, is shown in the other photos.
New Norcia Hostel
Built in 1927, the New Norcia Hostel originally served as a guest house for parents visiting their children in the schools. It later operated as a hotel, but nowadays provides accommodation for group bookings.
Other Buildings
As it developed into an educational facility, boarding facilities were built – for both girls and boys.
First up, St Gertrude’s Girls Residence was built in the Gothic Revival style and completed in 1908. Following that was St Ildephonsus’ Boys Residence, which was somewhat less imposing that St Gertrude’s.
Other buildings around New Norcia include an Education Centre, Mission Cottage Interpretation Centre, and a Flour Mill.
It is certainly a step back into the past. Unfortunately, it is hard to see what its long term future is. Still, for now, it is still there and functioning.
