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New Norcia Benedictine Community
New Norcia Road
New Norcia WA 6509

Getting There


Main Office

T: +61 8 9654 8018
F: +61 8 9654 8097
E: information@newnorcia.com.au

Friends of New Norcia / Volunteering

T: +61 8 9654 8018
E: friends@newnorcia.com.au

Museum & Art Gallery

T: +61 8 9654 8056
E: museum@newnorcia.com.au

Group Accommodation & Education Centre

T: +61 8 9654 8018
E: groups@newnorcia.com.au

Communications

T: +61 8 9654 8018
E: communications@newnorcia.com.au

Visit New Norcia

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".

News

Thursday, 1st September 2022

Mandorla Art Award - Brisbane critical care nurse wins People’s Choice

Queensland artist and critical care nurse Kirilee West has been announced as the winner of the $2,000 Mandorla Art Award People’s Choice Award by Abbot John Herbert at the New Norcia Museum and Art Gallery. The People’s Choice Award is sponsored by The Benedictine Community of Holy Trinity Abbey, New Norcia.

The work, 3.42am, depicts a poignant and touching moment between caregiver and patient in the small hours of the morning. It is a moment very familiar to West who has been a Registered Nurse for the past 13 years. In her Artist Statement about the work, West says there is an almost palpable sense of fatigue and burnout within hospitals right now that feels arid and unending. “I feel it when I walk within the hospital walls. We move together in spaces of care and bear witness to the life and death of those whose care we are entrusted with. We journey together amidst our efforts to find compassion and a sense of healing. And yet it’s in these small moments that I can see that all along, we were standing together, immersed; covered by rivers in the desert.”

3.42am, by Kirilee West, winner of the People’s Choice Award.

Speaking from Brisbane, West says it is such an honour to receive the People’s Choice Award. “This artwork was deeply personal for me to create, and I’m grateful and deeply touched that the work has resonated with others. As a critical care nurse, this kind of image is a daily reality that is often quite difficult to put into words. I’m yet to find any prose that can adequately describe just what this is that we share with each other in such precarious spaces within hospitals. My gratitude to art for conveying the depth and breadth of unspoken words is immense.”

West says the opportunity to meditate on the ‘gentle whisper’ within her nursing and art practice through entering the Mandorla Art Award was a blessing. “Thank you everyone for welcoming me into the beautiful Mandorla community and for making me – and many healthcare workers – feel seen and valued. It is so appreciated.”

The Mandorla Art Award is Australia’s most significant thematic Christian art prize, with a major prize of $25,000 sponsored by St John of God Health Care. The Award this year comprises 41 works, selected from 275 entries from across Australia. All artist’s addressed the 2022 theme: Metamorphosis – a profound or radical change, referenced in Isaiah 43:19: “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

The announcement of The People’s Choice Award at New Norcia, with a selection of works from the 2022 Mandorla Art Award on display.