New Norcia WA, Monastery
New Norcia, WA may 1, 2015 Now this is a standout attraction in WA. 'Attraction' isn't really the right word, New Norcia is a town, but a town with a difference. It is a monastery town, completely owned and operated by the Benedictine monks, who came here in 1842 as missionaries to the natives, and stayed. At the height of the monastery, there were 80 or so monks and of course the town expanded along with the monastery. The monastery at one time held 900,000 acres of land, and the size and style of the buildings reflects the results of their hard work and good management. The town expanded even more when they established not one, but four boarding schools in 1901. The schools were to provide education and training to the white children, the natives, girls and boys, all totally segregated. Today, the schools are used for various other functions, mainly concerned with visiting school groups and people studying the Benedictine philosophy. The monastery itself is still opera...