Western Australia’s New Norcia a self-sufficient monastic town which opens its heart to all

IT APPEARS like an apparition out of Western Australia’s outback red dirt.

IT APPEARS like an apparition out of Western Australia’s outback red dirt.

Rub your eyes in disbelief, yet it doesn’t disappear.

New Norcia, 132km northeast of Perth, is — without doubt — a town unlike anything you’ll find anywhere in the nation.

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New Norcia Benedictine Community, Western Australia, newnorcia.wa.edu.au/or westernaustralia.com/nts

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Named after Norcia in Italy, its stunning buildings are a cluster of grand Spanish-style architecture and, most remarkable of all, it is Australia’s only monastic town.

The Benedictine Community of New Norcia is the official title of the group of Roman Catholic monks who have owned and operated New Norcia since 1847.

The monastery, where 16 resident monks currently live, work and pray, is at the heart of the town, which is surrounded by a church, chapel, old convent and colleges.

Tourists descend in their droves throughout the year, some attracted by the architecture, others by the novelty value, while many take part in monastery retreats.

Yet everyone, no matter what their religious bent, agrees the town is equally renowned for its heavenly food production, particularly its bread.

Using the monastery’s original wood-fired oven, installed in 1886, a private company, New Norcia Bakeries, creates breads with a chewy, golden crust, as well as a range of goodies including nut cake, pan chocolatti and almond biscotti sold at New Norcia’s Museum and Art Gallery.

Across at the New Norcia Hotel, Abbey Ale is on tap — described as a traditional monastic ale, golden in colour, “blessed with scents of fruit and spice’’, which is brewed at the Malt Shovel Brewery in inner-city Sydney and shipped to WA for ageing in the cellars beneath the monastery. The town also maintains olive oil production and sells locally made wines.

To fully appreciate New Norcia, it’s best to take part in a town tour, daily at 11am and 1.30pm, or take your own self-guided tour.

Tours explain that the town was established when a small group of Spanish Benedictine monks made their way north from Perth to establish an Aboriginal mission in 1847. The monks were headed by Bishop Rosendo Salvado (1814 to 1900), who dedicated 54 years of his life to establish the self-sufficient monastic town based on agriculture.

At its height, the monastery numbered 70 men.

While the architecture is worth a visit alone, much of the history can be found in the town’s museum, while the Abbey Church houses one of only two large Moser organs crafted in Germany, and imported to Australia in the 1920s.

Pax, a Latin word meaning peace, is the motto of New Norcia’s monks.

To experience your own slice of pax, stay overnight in one of several accommodations including the monastery guesthouse, New Norcia Hotel or the old convent.

There is also caravan and camping facilities, (perfect for those such as yours truly, in her Bitz motorhome).

Although, be warned: ghosts have been sighted in New Norcia, largely thanks to the graveyard being in the middle of town.