NEW NORCIA

A couple of hours North East of Perth is the monastic town of New Norcia. Established by Benedictine Monks in 1846, the town is still centred around the Monastery and Church. At its peak New Norcia housed 80 monks and farmed almost a million acres. Sheep, cattle, pigs, goats and bees were raised and grain crops, grapes, olives, fruit and vegetables were grown. They still have a bakery, produce olive oil and wine, and sell the surplus from the orchard and vegie garden through the Museum shop. There are only 9 monks running New Norcia at present.

The museum gives a great insight into the early days of the town. The collection of religious art is fantastic and the Abbey Ale is heavenly.

St Ildephonsus College

Former Policemans cottage – looks like he must have been a really tall policeman but, for some reason, the wall is only 4′ high.

St Gertrude’s College (back door)

Finely hand carved  and gilded wooden alter

Monastery

Apiary hand made bricks, timber and tin

Device for processing honey

Inside apiary (panorama from mobile phone)

Unidentified building with 1 hour late sundial on Northern wall

Olive oil processing shed

Old Wine Press

Graves of 3rd & 4th Abbots – all the former Abbots are buried along a line running through the center of the town. This line forms the long axis of a cross on which the town is laid out.

Monastic beer tap pumping Abbey Ale (7+%) in the New Norcia Pub

Pub Verandah

Monks wash basin