132km (82 miles) N of Perth
It's the last thing you expect to see in the Australian bush -- a Benedictine monastery town, with elegant European architecture, a fine museum, and a collection of Renaissance art -- but New Norcia is no mirage. Australia's only monastic town (and still a working community) retains an aura of peace and quiet and calming spirituality. The pretty town and the surrounding 8,000-hectare (19,760-acre) farm were established in 1846 by Spanish Benedictine missionaries. Visitors can tour beautifully frescoed chapels, marvel at one of the finest religious art collections in Australia, attend prayers with the 10 monks who live here, and stock up on famous New Norcia nut cake from the monastery's 120-year-old wood-fired ovens, or olive oil from WA's oldest grove.
Ten kilometers (6 1/4 miles) south of the town is the New Norcia Deep Space Ground Station, run by the European Space Agency. It's not open to the public, but visitors can learn about it at the town's education center.
New Norcia is an easy 2-hour drive from Perth. From downtown, take Lord Street, which becomes Guildford Road, to Midland, and follow the Great Northern Highway to New Norcia. The Public Transport Authority (PTA; tel. 1300/662 205 in Western Australia, or 08/9326 2000; www.transwa.wa.gov.au) runs a coach from Perth on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30am, returning at 2:50pm from the roadhouse, at A$19 (US$17/£8.50) one-way. Day tours from Perth are available.
You can get information and book tours at the New Norcia Tourist Information Centre, New Norcia, WA 6509 (tel. 08/9654 8056; www.newnorcia.com), in the Museum and Art Gallery, off the highway behind St. Joseph's. It keeps the same hours as the museum . Reserve accommodations in advance, especially in wildflower season from August through October.
