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New Norcia Benedictine Community New Norcia Road New Norcia WA 6509
People visit New Norcia for many reasons; for spiritual retreat, to join a tour and see inside the magnificent buildings or sometimes just to walk around the town and enjoy the peace and beautiful scenery.
In this section you will find all the information you need for your visit to New Norcia. Details of places to eat and places to stay, details of the town tours and information about some of our favourite things to do in Australia’s only monastic town.
We recommend your first port of call is the Museum & Art Gallery to speak to one of the staff about the attractions and experiences New Norcia has to offer. The Museum & Art Gallery is also a Visitor Information Centre and is the point from which town tours leave.
Stay at New Norcia
There are so many different options for accommodation at New Norcia.
The Guesthouse is perfect for a quiet, retreat like experience - a world away from the rigours of modern life. You can join a Benedictine retreat here or be housed in the Hermitage for a silent retreat. Groups can be accommodated in the Old Convent or the historic boarding school colleges. Smaller groups are also able to book the Hostel, with its comfortable rooms, neo-classical architecture, scenic deck and heritage veranda, as well as St Ildephonsus' Cottage.
Please click on the areas on the right for more information.
Eat & Drink
Hospitality is a tenet of the Rule of St Benedict, the Rule by which the monks of New Norcia live, so wherever you choose to eat in town, our aim is for you to experience warm monastic hospitality.
Education & Research
From the earliest days of its foundation New Norcia has been focussed on education. The first Abbot, of New Norcia (Rosendo Salvado) established the Aboriginal girls and boys schools and the second Abbot of New Norcia, Fulgentius Torres built and opened the European girls and boys schools, which closed in 1991.
Since the closing of the schools, New Norcia's school buildings and grounds have been utilised by groups undertaking education programmes.
However, New Norcia also has a tradition of research and academia, with its impressive archival records and library collection, and scholars and researchers alike have delighted over the years in the information available in the town's records.
This section also provides information on the archives and library and provides link to forms which will give you access to the records of New Norcia.
Protecting a Unique Heritage
New Norcia is Australia’s only monastic town and has a unique heritage. Founded in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine Monks, the town has had many purposes; a mission, a monastery, a provider of education and now as a place of spiritual retreat.
Delve into the town's unique history, discover the ongoing and completed work necessary for the upkeep and restoration of this special part of Australia.
But it is not only the majestic buildings set amongst the Australian bush that sets New Norcia apart; its history is also encapsulated in the archival records of New Norcia and in the library and museum collections.
In this section we also have information about how you can donate to New Norcia to help the Community restore and maintain this treasure.
What's Happening at New Norcia
We hold a diverse array of events throughout the year at New Norcia.
Each year we host a full programme of events including a spiritual retreat programme presented by the Institute for Benedictine Studies, dinners at the New Norcia Hostel and a few other surprises!
Watch this space for all the updated information about "What's on at New Norcia".
It is with a great deal of thanks and joy that, as a community, we celebrate with two of our Museum and Art Gallery (MAG) family members in recently giving birth.
Kristy Freame worked as a tour guide in the MAG, and also held the fort the fort in the roadhouse/post-office during COVID days in January.
Kristy and Brad welcomed Emmett Knox Pietraszek on 9th May at KEMH in Perth.
Emmett was a healthy 3.24kg, or if you are metrically challenged: 7lb 2oz. He was 48cm long.
Brad’s young daughter Violet, the “big sister” is also enjoying her new role in life.
Nora McGee is a long term member of the MAG family, and greatly loved around the place for her bright and breezy personality.
Nora and Brian welcomed TWINS on 13th June at KEMH in Perth. Ladies first!!
Ava Bridget Linke was a petite 2.13kg or 4lb 11oz
Isaac Gregory Linke was slightly bigger at 2.76kg or 6lb 1oz.
As a community we congratulate Kristy, Brad and Violet, and Brian and Nora.
A new home for the heritage farm collection
Our thanks to Dave (L) who came up from Bindoon for the day and provided great assistance and expertise. L-R: Dave, Abbot John, Ian and Alex.
The machinery display near the Art Gallery/Museum/Visitor’s Centre has been closed to the public for a number of years now, owing to health and safety concerns.
The decision to relocate the collection having been made, we commenced the tricky process of moving old, fragile, heritage farm equipment to its new home, in the restored Blacksmith’s Shop, where it will soon again be open to the public for viewing.
The Machinery Shed has a collection in three parts: farm equipment, other equipment including woodworking and wine making, and a collection of old catering equipment including domestic stoves, kero fridge and the like.
Problem solving was the order of the day. How to best move the old equipment without damaging it, then how to get it into position in the blacksmith’s shop.
We had a greeting from Abbot John as we passed the admin office with the beautiful old horse drawn cart (in this case – fork lift pushed cart!)
On Tuesday, 13th of June we had 150 students from Newman College come to New Norcia for a day visit.
After morning tea on arrival, they then proceeded to the Abbey Church to listen to Fr. Robert give a talk on St Benedict, Salvado and also how New Norcia came to be. He made special mention of the Marist Brothers teaching at St Ildephonsus’ College (connection to Newman College). The students and teachers were also treated to a performance on the organ by Fr. Robert.
After the talk, the students had a chance to reflect at the Rock of Remembrance and then proceeded to split into two groups for a town tour.
They concluded the day with lunch and a quick look at the Prendiville Room and 6 Seasons Art Panels.
Social events at New Norcia
A Latin American Fiesta
Late last year, this concert of Father Robert’s had to be cancelled because of COVID, so it was with great expectation that the people whose tickets had been rolled over arrived in New Norcia for the soirée.
As always, the soiree was held in the hostel bar areas, and Abbot John was in full swing behind the bar making cocktails.
Fittingly, we had three people attending from South America: Paula who is a regular New Norcia attendee and is Columbian, and two ladies from Venezuela.
Benita and Victoria Molinos are sisters. Victoria lives in Perth these days, but Benita was out from Venezuela to visit her sister. It’s a long way! She told me that she had flown from Caracas to Madrid, on to Doha and then to Perth. All in all, 36 hours on planes, not to mention the hour and a half from Perth! She has to earn the honour of having travelled the furthest to attend a New Norcia soirée!
The music was an absolute treat, from largely 19th century Latin American composers, and the sumptuous supper, prepared by Abbot John and served as a buffet was delicious.
All in all, a wonderful night.
The Porsche Club returns
On Sunday 18th June…a particularly chilly day… log fires were lit in both the dining room and the parlour, but cocktails gave way to Abbey Pale Ale and lemon, lime and bitters for 60 responsible Porsche drivers, who enjoyed a monastery meal, which, on Sundays, is always a delicious roast.
Seeding celebration
Enthusiastic local Tracy Sievewright arranged an evening for 40 or so local women at the Hostel on Thursday 15th June to celebrate the end of seeding – a season in which these women provide support to our local farmers eager to get their crops in.
Tracy is one of our tour guides and works part time in the Museum and Art Gallery, and is also a local farmer’s wife.
They enjoyed catching up with one another with a cocktail (or two) in the candle-lit lounge before enjoying a hearty winter meal in the dining room (complete with ambient log fire) prepared by Marlon and his team, and served under the direction of Joyce and her team.
We look forward to hosting many of these local gatherings, so important in rural life.
Moora Lions Club Lunch
On Saturday, 24th of June we welcomed the Moora Lions Club to the newly refurbished St Ildephonsus’ Large Dining Room for lunch. We had a total of 31 guests who enjoyed pre-lunch drinks and an a-la-carte lunch.
Guests commented on how amazing the renovations looked (some of them had seen the previous state of the rooms) – a perfect venue for their lunch and they would be returning!
Deepen your Spirituality with Thomas Merton at New Norcia
New Norcia is pleased to be hosting a series of one-day retreats in 2023 conducted by Sylvia Grevel, a theologian, writer and researcher on Christian spirituality. The retreats days will be based on the writings of Thomas Merton.
Merton was a Trappist monk, who wrote countless books and articles on the spiritual journey within the context of our Christian traditions. He also engaged deeply and fruitfully with other religious systems and the creative arts.
Thomas Merton and the Mystical Christ
The last two retreat days of the series will concentrate on Merton’s very open, creative and life-giving understanding of Christ. According to Merton, the world is in desperate need of wisdom, a sapiential knowledge and contemplative awareness. These are at the heart of Merton’s mission: to be a Christian soulful counterforce to a global culture of profits, pragmatism, violence and exploitation.
Therefore, on 22 July we will explore Sophia, Wisdom and the female divine. On this day we will be guided by his prose poem Hagia Sophia, about divine Wisdom as the feminine manifestation of God. We will deepen our understanding of his ‘play in creation’ theology and reflect on our personal relationship with these divine essences.
On 30 September we learn about Merton’s journey into other world religions (mainly Zen Buddhism), leading to an interreligious understanding of contemplation as a unifying characteristic, and what it means to be a true self - fully human. The latter as a result of a life long journey of self-emptying, mirroring Christ. One session on this last day in the series will be a creative workshop, led by Emma Tucek.
The retreats will each be on a Saturday, from 9.30am - 3.30pm, with morning and afternoon tea and lunch included. The reading texts for each day will be provided.
The cost is $70 per day, with numbers limited to 20 people. Both days can be attended separately. The content will slightly overflow between the two days. For enrolment contact Sylvia directly: The Blessed Tree
Monastery Roof Repairs
My old dad had a saying “Terra Firma, the more firma the less terra.”
The west end gable of the southern monastery building, one of the original buildings at New Norcia, recently lost a sheet of corrugated iron on a windy night. The monastery building roofs were all clad in corrugated iron in the period 1900-1904 when the second abbot, Fulgentius Torres, was building the rear west end building and closing in the cloister area. In those days sheets were nailed, but after 120 years the nails and timber battens part company, and that results in lost sheets on windy nights.
As a result, we have hired a cherry picker and Ian and Alex are “taking the high ground”.
They are removing all the nails from the west gable end and screwing the sheets. It is not a job for everyone, but such is the life of a maintenance person.
Upcoming Events
Glass Houses: The Music of Philip Glass
2 SEPTEMBER 2023 NEW NORCIA HOSTEL
This recital will feature New Norcia's Fr Robert Nixon performing the major piano works of Philip Glass, including the epic Trilogy Sonata and the transcendent Mad Rush, as well as other popular pieces by this composer.
This soirée will present an array of ragtime music (including pieces by Winifred Atwell, Scott Joplin and many others), performed by New Norcia's Fr Robert Nixon.
