New Norcia, Western Australia

New Norcia is a town in Western Australia, 132km north of Perth, along the Great Northern Highway. It is situated next to the banks of the Moore River, in the Shire of Victoria Plains.New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia. A ground station for the European Space Agency is located 8 km south of the town.EstablishmentOn 1 March 1846, a Benedictine mission to the local native Aboriginals was started about 8km to the north, led by the two Spanish Benedictines, Rosendo Salvado and Joseph Serra. Within a year the mission was moved to where the town is today, and on 1 March 1847 the foundation stone of the monastery was laid. The place was named New Norcia, after Norcia in Italy, the birthplace of St Benedict. Unlike the Italian Norcia, which is pronounced "nor-cha", New Norcia is pronounced "new nor-sia".TownThe town of New Norcia has buildings in a Spanish style of architecture, along with some other historical sites. Among these are the two old boarding schools, St Ildephonsus' and St Gertrude's (both now used for accommodation and various social functions), the Abbey Church (containing the tomb of Rosendo Salvado), an old mill, a wine press, a hotel and the monastery itself.