New Norcia Benedictine Community
'St Gertrudes'
Our plans to stay at the monastic town of New Norcia were foiled by the weather turning wet, cold and windy. The campsite had no power and as we knew we would need the heater that night, we decided to continue on to Northam one of the oldest settled country towns in the State.
New Norcia was established as a mission in 1846 by a Spanish Benedictine monk, Bishop Rosendo Salvado and still operates today as a Benedictine community of monks who live a simple communal life of prayer and work within the monastry. Reading a brochure I collected from the visitor centre, I cannot help but feel there is a 'tich' of commercialism here and all is not just peace and tranquility. Its a business and with its museum, art gallery and gift shop, (selling their produce of olive oil, Abbey wines, breads,etc) hotel and a monastry guesthouse that can cater for groups of up to 200 people for conferences and special events, one probably detects a little cynicism in me - hm mm. Apart from that it is quite a sight to see the wonderful old buildings such as the Old Convent, Abbey Church, Old Flour Mill, Olive Workshop, Monastery and more.
'St Gertrudes'
Our plans to stay at the monastic town of New Norcia were foiled by the weather turning wet, cold and windy. The campsite had no power and as we knew we would need the heater that night, we decided to continue on to Northam one of the oldest settled country towns in the State.
New Norcia was established as a mission in 1846 by a Spanish Benedictine monk, Bishop Rosendo Salvado and still operates today as a Benedictine community of monks who live a simple communal life of prayer and work within the monastry. Reading a brochure I collected from the visitor centre, I cannot help but feel there is a 'tich' of commercialism here and all is not just peace and tranquility. Its a business and with its museum, art gallery and gift shop, (selling their produce of olive oil, Abbey wines, breads,etc) hotel and a monastry guesthouse that can cater for groups of up to 200 people for conferences and special events, one probably detects a little cynicism in me - hm mm. Apart from that it is quite a sight to see the wonderful old buildings such as the Old Convent, Abbey Church, Old Flour Mill, Olive Workshop, Monastery and more.
Ye Old Cottage
Northam was a great base for us to explore the Avon Valley. The town is situated on the Avon River with some amazing old historic buildings . We did our usual thing and spent a couple of days touring around the local towns and enjoying the panorama of the countryside. It's all here - charming B & B style accommodation, fine country mansions, farm stays, verandah-clad pubs, craft shops, markets, locally grown produce, bush walks, hot air ballooning, museums, restaurants and cafes. A perfect getaway if you live in Perth, the Western Australian capital as it's only an hour away. It has a similar feel to the Bowral and Mittagong areas where weekend retreats are an easy drive west of Sydney.
York's Imperial Hotel
circa 1886
We actually had a chance to sample local hospitality when we stopped at a partially renovated old pub at Spencers Brook between these towns, (and not as fancy as the Imperial in York) a one pub and and almost nothing else dot on the map. The tavern was constructed around the 1870's and we parked the car out the front in sight of the dining area, told the dogs to behave (and crossed our fingers Bere wouldn't take to eating the upholstery) and indulged in a yummy steak sandwich with entertainment provided by the local publican who I think was a little starved for conversation!
In easy driving distance to Northam, York and Toodyay (meaning place of plenty) are delightful old towns both founded around 1831 and both on the Avon River. We saw a lot of new homes established in these towns and I imagine there are a lot of hobby farms in the mix as people get away from the hustle and bustle of a big city. I really enjoyed exploring Connor's Mill in Toodyay, a steam driven flour mill built in 1870 producing 'The Conqueror' brand of stone ground flour complete with bag chute where the dray was positioned below to catch the flour bags. Fire destroyed the mill machinery in 1921 and the mill was then converted for use as a power station until 1950. It was saved from demolition and restored in 1970.Time to head back to the water and beautiful Rockingham and Shoalwater Bay south of Perth.
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